Dihydrogen Oxide: A Formula for Panic
by ClockworkScales
Summary: One full moon, the girls run a muck and force Lewis into the moon pool. Lo and behold, Lewis has become a merman! Emma, Rikki, and Cleo are in hysterics, until they see what Lewis's power is: seducing women. To add to the confusion, some new mermaids are found around Mako. And soon, the whole town are mermaids! What is going on?
1. Chapter 1: Moon

**Dihydrogen Oxide: A Formula For Panic, The Sequel to "A Formula for Mischief"**

* * *

_A/N: I haven't quite seen the end of the H2O third season (I'm a little under half way through), but it just doesn't seem right to continue without considering the change of events. Why didn't I write a sequel to the first story before now? I've been very busy studying for my bachelor degree. At any rate, I hope the lovers of the old story will return to enjoy this one, and hopefully my writing would have improved by now. Anyway, this first chapter gets a little serious, but it will lighten up soon enough, I promise. :) Hope you enjoy it as much as you did the first! I know some things in the first story were a bit silly (I don't know why I put so many flashbacks in there - character development I suppose), but I hope my storytelling of mermaid antics has improved somewhat over the years. Let's see._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Moon**

'Ugh!' Rikki screwed her nose up at the television. 'What a rubbish movie!'

'I know!' Cleo agreed, 'I would have expected something else to happen but no... You're a man on the moon, a _clone_, and then he just _escapes_!'

'Yes, I didn't think I was the only one who saw that coming,' Emma agreed.

The three girls were spending the full moon at Cleo's house, and at Lewis's request, they decided to watch the 2009 science fiction movie Moon. What a mistake it was.

'Lewis, this is your fault,' Rikki said. 'I could have been studying while this was on!'

'Studying?' Lewis asked. 'It's the summer holidays, why would you want to study?'

'I don't, but it would have been better than this rubbish!' Rikki growled.

Cleo rolled her eyes, resting her head on a pillow. The four were settling in on the couch, sinking deep into the cushions. Lewis had come home over the summer holidays to spend time with Cleo. He had been studying in the United States. At this point in time, it was the end of everyone's first year at university. Emma was studying biochemistry, Rikki was manager at Rikki's full time (not feeling the need to go to university just yet), and Cleo was studying animal biology (hoping to specialise in marine animals, to nobody's surprise).

'And this is why Bella left!' Rikki continued, turning the television off and heading into the kitchen for some food. All the while, wind and rain penetrated the night outside.

'Bella left to pursue a musical career in the United States, Will followed to pursue his diving career.' Cleo corrected. Emma frowned. It was getting pretty late. And all the windows were covered up.

'They sounded pretty nice from what I heard. She sang well. Who's doing the music now?'

Rikki pulled some soft drink out of the fridge. 'Eh, some band from Sydney. They're pretty good; the Perks, or something like that.'

Lewis looked at his watch, and suddenly fumbled with the tv-remote, putting on the news.

The next few minutes were filled with arguing. Word was that a vicious hurricane was on its way, and had enough force to completely destroy Mako Island. One might have wondered what the arguing was about, but something had come over the girls. A powerful emotion rose from deep inside of them and urged them outside; the mermaid in each of them was playing up, and there was nothing Lewis could do to stop it. They had to save Mako Island. Lewis shook his head and retorted.

'No way, it is _way_ too dangerous to go anywhere.'

Lightning shook the night outside, and Cleo hurried to the window and tore open the blinds. Moonlight hit her as clouds parted, perhaps by her influence, and as she slowly crept out of the way of the window, the pale light sneaked into the room and reached Rikki and Emma's gaze, their gaze changed. Their eyes narrowed onto Lewis, and Lewis knew that he had no way to stop what was brewing inside of them, even if his life depended on it.

But something was different.

A huge wind burst through the room, even though no windows were open. It was Cleo's power. She pointed her hand at Lewis. A snake of water shot out of the sink and wrapped around the man like a rope. With a sharp push of Emma's hand, it froze. Their hair whipped into the air from the wind, and the mere force pushed the door open. The gust outside was getting steadily stronger, and the rain heavier. The girls were hit by water droplets as they petted inside, but they did not transform like they should have. With a flick of their wrists, Lewis floated off the ground, and when he protested, his mouth was sealed shut with ice. The girls rushed out into the night, the tree branches whipping in the gale. A ball of water surrounded them like a shield, and they jumped. In a split second, the ball turned to ice, and they were inside of it. The speed was incredible- they were running faster than they ever had, the ice rolling under their feet like a hamster wheel. And then they reached the water's edge, and the three girls passed through the hollow ice ball as if it was jelly. Lewis dropped onto the ice, alone inside, his watery binds disintegrating. He felt the ball skid forward, and then drop. The ice fogged up; Lewis could no longer see through it. He was being pulled behind through the water by mermaids.

Lewis grumbled, and struggled to keep his thoughts steady. If they had acquired this kind of strength, perhaps he would be okay. Their precision and augmented power was breathtaking, and they were at Mako in several minutes. The brute force of all their powers were working in tandem. Lewis wondered what it must be like to be caught up in a frenzy with power, although from his past experience, the girls didn't seem to remember much about the times they were possessed... It's not like he could ask them and expect a valid answer.

Lewis didn't even notice the ball moving up into the moon pool at Mako; he couldn't see what was going on. But suddenly, Lewis heard water gushing around the ice ball, and its structure collapse around him, water falling into the pool beneath his feet – he was floating in the air.

'Why can't you just stop the wind destroying this place with your powers? Don't you have that kind of strength?' Lewis blurted out, half out of curiosity, half out of desperation. What was he going to be? Some kind of sacrifice? What use could he be for mermaids? But it was no use asking. Emma, Cleo, and Rikki, all standing at the edge of the pool, pointed above, where the moon was steadily creeping over the hole of the cave. They looked very serious.

'Nature provided us with power, Lewis,' Cleo said sternly. 'If we go too far against it, it will take us with it.'

Lewis gawked, trying to make sense of what he just heard.

'But where do you draw the line for something like that? There has to be some-'

But the water beneath the floating man began to bubble, and before Lewis could speak, he was dropped into the pool, just as the moon hovered over it. He gasped for air and struggled to remove himself from the cold pool, fearing the worst. However, ice tentacles wrapped around his waist and kept him still. The three girls started dancing in a circle, sparks and embers flying around them as they sang an eerie chant. What kind of messed up mermaid ritual was this, he wondered. He didn't know whether to be terrified or in awe – there were so many questions running through his head.

Lewis wanted to yell, demand answers, or call for help, but he was completely lost for words. As the hurricane roared overhead and the bubbles and light surrounded him in one magical moment, he lost all motive to speak.

The girls brought him home later, but not before they froze Mako and protected it from the storm with their powers. For some reason, they couldn't fight the storm directly, but their exponential increase in power allowed them to protect the island. He only suspected being thrown into the pool had helped with that, but he didn't understand why. He was pulled out of the pool and frozen inside the ice ball after the moon disappeared from overhead, the wind roaring and rain pouring. He didn't quite like the idea of being captive, but it was a lot more peaceful, and certainly a lot warmer in there.

As he collected his thoughts, his nerves began to wreck havoc inside of him as he realised what had just happened. He was been put into the moon pool during a _full moon_. He didn't feel any different... so he couldn't possibly be turned into a mer... a _merman_, now could he?


	2. Chapter 2: Lewis's Gift

_A/N: It's so weird to think I wrote the original Dihydrogen Oxide story 4 years ago. As per the Moon (2009) plug... I saw it over the holidays and it was rather disappointing. It was in a top movie list so I thought it would be good (like Lewis would have thought, surely), but... whatever. Let's get on with this story! Oh and, I like reviews, so if you want to review I'd appreciate it (hint hint). :)_

* * *

The next morning was one pronounced by groans of dishevelment. The three girls had slept in Cleo's room, and woke with pounding headaches. When they found Lewis on the couch downstairs, they were particularly surprised to see him; evidently they thought he would have slept next to Cleo. With a grimace, he said:

'Do you girls remember what you did to me last night?'

Cleo, Rikki, and Emma exchanged wide-eyed looks.

'Erm... No?' Cleo said. She rushed over to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him. 'What happened? Did we go moon-crazy?'

Lewis nodded. At the concerned looks of the girls, he explained, making sure to speak slowly to make sure that they understood just how serious and strange what they had done exactly was.

'This is by far the weirdest, most horrible thing, you girls have ever done under the influence of the full moon.' Lewis concluded.

Cleo looked horrified. 'I – we – did that to you? But why? What's going on? Are you a - a _merman_ now, or something?'

'I'm not sure... I'm too scared to find out.' Lewis admitted. 'It would just... change everything.'

'Well, yeah,' Rikki argued, 'But it's not like Emma giving up swimming because she's a mermaid, or anything. You hardly get in contact with water.'

'But... Showers! I hate baths, I like showers!' Lewis said indignantly. Rikki and Emma snorted, and Cleo's forehead creased with worry. With determination, she shot into the kitchen and poured a glass of water. She brought it to Lewis, and pointed.

'Okay, Lewis, there's only one way to find out. And Rikki can turn you back if you are one of us. Don't worry.'

'But Rikki won't be around when I'm in America! This is a nightmare.'

'Just check already!' Rikki cried. 'If you're not then it's no big deal. Like you said, we acted very strangely that night.'

'I agree,' Emma said. 'If we were doing a strange mermaid ritual, it's possible you might not even be one. But... We have to know.'

There was a tense silence. Lewis lifted his finger, as if to put in into the water glass, when Rikki snatched the glass and poured it, impatiently, over his head. She cleared up the speckles of water that hit her and Cleo, and Emma stood way back. The rest of the water soaked into his jeans.

Ten seconds seemed to last an eternity. Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six... Five... Four... Three... Two... One...

Lewis's clothes vanished. Their suspicions had been confirmed. Now, a bare-chested Lewis sat on Cleo's sofa, an orange tail extending down from his waste in the same fashion as the girls had. The man stared down at the thing that flopped onto the carpet in horror, and shortly after, embarrassment.

'This is absolutely humiliating.'

After a tension filled silence, laughter burst from the girls' throats at the sight of him. A _merman_?

Rikki smirked. Lewis grimaced, and waved his tail slowly, watching it jiggle. After a few moments, he slumped back in the chair, staring at the ceiling.

'My scientific career is over,' he sighed.

Cleo shook her head and sat down on the couch next to him. 'No, Lewis, this is... This could be a blessing in disguise! After all... You can examine marine specimen in a whole new way!'

Lewis smiled a little at that.

'I guess that means I can spend more time with you,' he said. Cleo and Lewis shared a kiss, suddenly wondering at what depths of the ocean they could discover.

'What's Lewis's power, I wonder...' Emma suddenly said, breaking the couple's special moment. She made a good point. While they thought about it, Rikki held her palm out, and slowly made a fist. Within a few moments, and with a bit of steam, the tail vanished, and Lewis was fully clothed. He shuddered suddenly, and made a motion to brush something off his chest.

'What's wrong?' Cleo asked.

'That's a weird feeling,' Lewis said. He frowned, looking at Emma. 'But Emma's right, if I'm a merman I should have some kind of power, right?'

'Try it,' Rikki said.

Lewis held out his hand.

Nothing happened.

He waved his hand around, flicking his wrist and moving his fingers, but, still, nothing happened. It reminded him of when Peter Parker was attempting to get his powers to work in Spider Man.

'Maybe the mermen don't get powers,' Rikki teased, but Lewis glared at her, hoping she wasn't right. A power would make this experience a little better and not so daunting. Controlling the power was another matter, however - if he had one. Then again, Cleo, Rikki, and Emma, all discovered their powers by accident. It was probably the same case for him.

Suddenly, there were sounds coming from outside and the fumbling of keys in the front door. Don and Sam came into the house with luggage, Kim close behind and sneering at them.

'You decided to stay home while there was a hurricane? What kind of morons are you people?' Kim said.

Don and Sam rushed toward the group.

'Oh my goodness, I am so glad you are okay,' Don said, pulling Cleo into his arms. 'I was so worried. That weather forecast was really unexpected. But it looks like the house is okay.'

Cleo and Don exchanged smiles and Cleo hugged Sam. Kim was instructed to unpack in her room and she did so without complaint. Just as Don was leaving to check the fridge for food, Sam and Lewis caught eyes.

'Lewis, you're looking awfully upset this morning. Did something happen?'

Lewis peered at Sam. She was looking at him with stars in her eyes, as if she were looking at Don. He shuddered. But Sam came nearer, and sat next to Lewis, putting her hand to his forehead.

'My, you have a fever. I think I ought to get you to bed.'

Lewis felt his forehead. He felt fine. Sam didn't seem to be acting normal, though.

'I'm quite well, thank you.'

He looked at Cleo. She shared the same look of confusion as he did. Rikki looked at her watch, suddenly spinning around with a wave of her hands.

'I just realized I have to get to the cafe! Call me if anything happens,' she said, leaving promptly. Emma was staring at Sam and Lewis like a huge purple elephant had walked into the room.

'Sam, dearie, is everything all right?' Don asked, peering around the kitchen bench. Sam smiled back at him.

'Yes, everything is fine.'

She smiled at Lewis, and then she did something that made Lewis blush. She put her hand on his thigh, and bent close to his ear. She whispered something that made Lewis's entire face go red.

'Now, that's a bit … uh... unnecessary - why don't you go help your husband, D-Don, with lunch... or something?'

'Anything for you, Lewis.' Sam said. The woman winked at him with her kind face, and then tottered off to the kitchen to help her husband.

'What was that about?' Don asked.

'Just messing around with Lewis,' Sam said. 'He's so easy to tease.'

'You're telling me,' Don laughed. The two left the room. They weren't missed.

Emma and Cleo stared at Lewis with horrified eyes.

'What was that?' Cleo demanded. 'That was absolutely horrifying! ... _Sam_ just came onto you!'

Lewis's blush vanished. His eyes narrowed in thought.

'I have no idea.'

And he meant it.

They spent a few minutes in wonder and bewilderment. Kim, Don, and Sam, all suddenly seemed busy unpacking elsewhere.

'I don't want to come back here if she's going to be like that,' Lewis mumbled. He got to his feet, grabbing Cleo's hand. 'Cleo, would you like to walk Emma home with me?'

'Ah, sure.'

Once they had gathered their overnight gear, and Lewis slung his laptop over his shoulder, they left the house, the sky very sunny and bright. You couldn't even tell a hurricane had come and gone, other than the ground was very wet. They took care not to step in any puddles. There weren't any damages at all, considering the strength of the wind. It was suspicious. Had the hurricane arrived specifically for Mako Island?

As the three passed the beach, Lewis caught eye contact with a girl who was soaking wet by mere chance - and to avoid her obvious wetness. He looked upon the water with fear and apprehension. He suddenly felt a steady paranoia settling in... How could he stay near the beach if people were always wet?

As they were passing the girl, they heard a voice come from her.

'Hey, what's your name, bucko?'

Lewis turned to face the girl. She had wide pouting lips, a small pink bikini, and a tan. He looked left and right, just to check she was talking to him.

'Who, me?'

'Yes, you. What's your name? I like you. Wanna come back to my place? I'll do whatever you want.'

She slipped her slippery arm around Lewis's waist, and the liquid soaked through his clothes. Her heavy eyes were ignored by Lewis at the feel of water on his skin.

'Hey, we're boyfriend and girlfriend, here,' Cleo stammered, butting into their conversation. Lewis began to feel a tingling sensation in his feet that was steadily rising up his legs. The water... the water!

'Sorry lady - I'm sure you're very nice and all but please leave me alone because I have to go now!'

Lewis sprinted away from the beach and into the nearest public toilet. As he hurried into the men's cubicle, his legs collapsed underneath him. And they were no longer legs. They had formed a tail. A scaley, shimmering tail. He knocked his head on the toilet seat as he fell, and groaned in pain, rubbing his forehead. The concrete underneath him was rough and uncomfortable. He peered around to look at his tail, and noticed it was poking out from under the door. With some dexterity, he pulled his body up, and sat on the toilet seat, hoping to hide the tail temporarily.

Cleo and Emma yelled from outside.

'Lewis! Lewis!'

'I'm okay, don't worry!' Lewis called, and he yanked the toilet paper off the roll, a meter or so falling across his lap. He tore it off, and rubbed it around his waist where the girl had caught him. As he turned back, completely dry, he wondered what had happened to the girls around him. They were acting weird.

He left the cubicle, staring at the water tap in fear. How was he supposed to clean his hands after going to the toilet? Talk about unhygienic. Maybe he could use alcohol gel and carry around some paper towels, or a fabric towel (to save paper). That might work, he thought.

He saw Cleo and Emma waiting under a tree outside. He attempted to smile. Emma rushed forward and poked him in the chest, a spark in her eye - a spark of triumph.

'I know what your power is Lewis. Cleo and I had a bit of a chat, and we agreed that...'

Emma peered into his eyes, making sure he was fully alert and listening.

'Your power is seducing women.'

Lewis raised his eyebrows. But then, it was as if something clicked inside his head. Something he had read in mythology at some point. Hitching his laptop up under his arms, he sprinted away; back home. He had some research to do.


	3. Chapter 3: The Merman Hypothesis

Lewis was in a hurry, trying to explain various hypotheses about his powers, and how he may have become a mermaid. He did so in the moon pool, with the other mermaids at his sides. It was a strange feeling being there. He almost felt like he didn't belong. There was something wonderful about being in the water, however. It didn't feel anywhere near as uncomfortable as it used to. It was neither too hot, nor too cold, as if his skin receptors had adapted to the temperature, only specifically to water. From his biological knowledge, this didn't make a great deal of sense, but he was certain he could figure something out.

The trip to Mako Island was truly a sight to behold, and he instantly forgave the myriad of times Cleo had been late for various events (aka dates) because she had been in the water. The coral reef may be taking something of a toll from global warming, but it was still beautiful and vibrant with life. He felt oddly protective towards it. It was at that moment, that something clicked. The hurricane.

'Okay, for some reason, you girls wanted to save Mako. As you girls know, -'

'Stop calling us girls, Lewis. Just call us guys, everyone does.' Rikki interrupted.

'Shh, Rikki! This could be important.' Emma butted in. Cleo nodded, urging her boyfriend to continue.

'Okay, yes, as I was saying. Global warming has become more and more of an issue, especially in relation to its affect on the oceans, fish-life, and coral. It occurred to me, that the hurricane, being one of the signs of global warming, in combination with the quickly degrading ocean life, was a powerful indicator to the mermaid psyche that something needed to be done. Not only were you protecting Mako, but you were protecting the potential for more mermaids. If there were more mermaids, not only would people take better care of the environment due to greater awareness of its damage, but it would also foster a natural protectiveness of the ocean and its inhabitants. I noticed this feeling on my way here, and I'm sure you all feel it too.'

He paused, to take a deep breath. 'I am positive – _very certain _– that this was the cause for you... you guys... to kidnap me and turn me into a merman. You've noticed my power; it is the power to make women act very strange towards me -'

'Seduce,' Rikki corrected, having heard about the events from her friends.

'Ah, yes, thank you Rikki,' Lewis chimed, continuing, 'and, presumably, to get them to do what I want. Not that I would make them do anything... But anyway... But the seduction doesn't work on mermaids – it has no effect on you guys, you would have noticed. Mermen and mermaids in mythology are known for seducing men or women. Perhaps it's to seduce them into the ocean, to be like them? To be... Different. To be mermaids.'

'Hold on,' Rikki interrupted. 'This is a good theory and all, but what about men? Couldn't you, theoretically -'

'Hypothetically,' Lewis corrected.

'Whatever,' Rikki said, rolling around in the water to face him. 'My point is how do we know this doesn't include bossing guys around into the pool as well? And, do you know what made the hurricane disappear all of a sudden?'

'I thought you would remember. I didn't see anything, I was in ice, remember?' Lewis said.

The girls shook their wet heads. Lewis sighed, and pulled himself out of the pool, wriggling onto dry land. He looked down at his tail with mild curiosity, and also frustration. It was hard to move with a tail flopping around behind you. He wasn't quite used to it.

'How does that explain the hurricane, though?' Emma repeated. 'That is a good question. It didn't seem quite like a normal hurricane. And, besides, according to Lewis's story, we performed some weird dance. I wonder what that was about?'

'And... Apparently I said something weird about nature?' Cleo said. Lewis nodded.

'You said that nature would engulf you guys if you used your powers against it,' Lewis said. 'It didn't make sense at the time, but maybe if you guys did use your powers against it all the time it would completely throw of the balance of the weather – more so than already, anyway. At this point in time, with it changing at such alarming rates, that would be dangerous, I'd wager.' Lewis trailed on. 'But you're right, that doesn't explain the ritual. I'll do some more reading, but maybe it was a worship ritual of some kind? For mermaids to welcome their new, uh...'

'You better not say ruler,' Rikki warned. Emma snorted.

'I doubt he has it in him. But for the mermaid parts of us, perhaps we really wanted a merman around, if you know what I mean.' Emma explained. There was a few seconds, and everybody's face went pink.

'But how would that even work? It's... It's a tail! There's nothing else there, from what I can tell! Every vital function under the waist is put on hold while you're a mermaid.' Cleo said loudly, her cheek's glistening with a mixture of water and pinkness. 'It just, that would be weird.'

'Maybe not for you, Cleo, but for Rikki and I,' Emma said. 'No offence, Lewis.'

'None taken,' the merman grinned boyishly. 'You know, this is going to sound strange, but I feel like swimming.'

'Yeah, you'll get used to that,' Cleo said, suddenly squealing with excitement. 'I bet you guys are jealous, my boyfriend is a merman!'

Rikki and Emma rolled their eyes.

'Don't even get us started,' they said in cohesion. They looked at each other and grinned.

'Anyway, that's my theory. I'll look up a few more things, but... I wonder what will happen next full moon?' Lewis said.

'There's only two until you have to go back to America,' Cleo said, suddenly looking sad. 'We'll see if we can turn you back before then.'

'Yeah...' Lewis said thoughtfully, pulling himself back into the water with a splash. He surfaced. 'Maybe.' He smiled a little, 'I'm just starting to get used to this.'

Suddenly, he felt a shooting pain through his stomach, and he doubled over in pain.

'What's wrong?' Cleo asked, suddenly. 'Did you eat something bad?'

'Maybe. You can't tell if what they serve at Rikki's is good or bad anymore.'

He laughed, and then went silent.

'Do you guys want to go look around at the shops for awhile?'

'Sure. As long as you don't get any girls fawning over you.' Rikki stated.

'Well, there's no guarantee of that. I am gorgeous.' Lewis smirked. Rikki hit him, and Emma shook her head. Cleo pushed his head under the water, and followed him away.

The shops ended up being a very bad idea. Every girl Lewis caught eyes with hurried over and touched his face, his body, offering themselves to him. At first, Lewis just gently guided them away to a shop of some kind. It was an accident, after all. You can't help looking at people. But soon, Lewis seemed to have some fun in it, sending girls away to bizarre locations for his own amusement: the men's bathroom for instance.

Cleo, personally, got so annoyed at this, that she forced Lewis to make eye contact with a man. That didn't work, however, he just got a strange look back from the guy. Perhaps it was only mermaids that could choose who would be a merman or not, after all.

'It's awfully busy today,' Lewis pointed out. 'Did you girls want to get some food to eat?'

Blonde girls, brunettes, red heads, and even girls without hair, or with dyed hair, approached and asked Lewis for assistance with this little thing or that as they walked through the food court. Soon, Lewis was quickly being surrounded by several girls at a time. Cleo was furious. She made them slip on water that "by chance" flew out from under a puddle. Lewis noticed this quickly.

'What's up with you, Cleo? This is good fun. Look! They all love me!'

'They love the merman, not you, Lewis.' Cleo said loudly. 'Because right now, you're being the biggest jerk on the planet.'

It was at that moment that Cleo, her nostrils flaring, her eyes puffy and pink, and her lip trembling, turned on her heel and vanished from into the steady crowd. Lewis pushed yet another girl off of him, and requested she go about her business (which she did without a further word). When the way was clear, and Lewis was staring at Emma's shoes, Emma nudged Lewis's shin with her foot.

Rikki and Emma, close behind Lewis, had watched the spectacle in increasing concern.

'Be careful, or I'll have to pop your ego,' Rikki said. 'You're lucky I had a day off to keep an eye on you, Romeo.'

Emma nodded. Lewis looked at the two, and tried to find Cleo in the crowd, but she was no where to be seen.

'I suppose I really upset her,' Lewis mumbled. Not even the smell of food could ease his suddenly heavy heart.

'Duh!' Rikki said, and she, too, turned on her heel and left. 'I'll see you when you're not such a...' She searched for a word. 'Doofus.'

Lewis looked at Emma, the only girl left, pleadingly. 'Not you, too.'

Emma shook her head, but then walked into a shop, shortly coming out with a pair of reflective sunglasses.

'Maybe if you wear these they'll stop going crazy over you.'

Lewis sported the sunglasses, and caught eyes with a girl passing by – or so he thought he did. They just saw her reflection in his sunglasses. Their eyes flitted away to the road in front of them, and they walked by without a further glance.

'Wow... It's like they don't even care.'

'That's because they _don't_, Lewis,' Emma explained. 'I know you're excited about this new power, and it makes you think you're some super macho cool guy, but you have a girlfriend, and this sort of power isn't something you should be taking advantage of unless absolutely necessary, for our sake, and Cleo's. Not only is it not nice to look at, it also draws attention to us – it's very suspicious.'

Lewis looked at the ground. She was right... But he couldn't help feeling like there was something useful he could do with this power. The power to control people. He could stay in the library as long as he wanted, assuming a male wasn't on duty.

Emma patted him on the back.

'C'mon, Lewis. Why don't you go apologise to Cleo? You're only seeing her for a few months, you might as well make the time worthwhile.'


	4. Chapter 4: Memory

_A/N: This chapter got a bit serious, but I just finished reading In The Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. So he's had his influence on me, I'm afraid. But this is a set up for the shenanigans that will occur later. Or so the theory goes..._

* * *

After spending the evening completely miserable and sending Lewis away back home after the debacle earlier, Cleo finally slept. Despite her last encounter with Lewis, she felt haunted by something much larger than herself. Memories of Lewis's attempt to talk to her did not soothe her:

Lewis was ushered into Cleo's bedroom by her well-meaning father. He had a pair of obnoxious sunglasses on, but took them off when he noticed Cleo glaring. Don left quickly, closing the door behind him.

'Ah, I just wanted to apologise.' Lewis announced, trying to smile.

Cleo looked Lewis up and down, and felt threatened by his mere presence. It was an irrational feeling, but it was a feeling she was cautious of. She raised her hand, and water shot out from the nearby bathroom and produced a weaving water net, surrounding the man from head to foot, but not quite touching him. It hovered, menacingly.

'It looked like you were enjoying yourself at the shops,' Cleo said.

Lewis looked remarkably uncomfortable at being surrounded by the water.

'So, is this how it's going to be between us now?' He asked, eyeing the net. 'Hostility bred by misunderstanding? Cleo, I was hardly aware of my powers until today. But I learned something on my way over here. Something interesting.'

'Oh?' Cleo asked, getting to her feet and walking around him. 'And what was that?'

'Well, I learned that I could erase the memories of people. And not just women. I was walking home, and I accidentally bumped into some people because I couldn't see too clearly in these sunglasses. And they knocked me over, and they apologised, and then tried to help me up and I said "Oh, just forget about it". Well, they did! Those people, a guy and a girl, looked at me with genuine confusion and said, 'What are you doing on the ground?''

Cleo raised her eyebrows. The message took a few moments to sink in.

'This doesn't work on mermaids, does it?'

'I don't know,' Lewis admitted. 'But, think about it! What if somebody saw us? I could erase their memory! This type of suggestibility I have is so far reaching that it can rewrite the very matter of people minds!'

'Lewis, I don't think you should use this power. You don't know what kind of harm it could be doing to people. You could be taking away their personality.'

'Nah, don't be silly! I have complete control over it.' Lewis said triumphantly.

'Do you? Do you, Lewis? Because from the looks of those sunglasses, and from the looks of you at the shops, you don't look like you have control over it at all!'

Cleo relaxed her hold on the water net, and it splashed over Lewis's head. He glared at Cleo for a few moments, and then, his eyes widened, and he stumbled forward to Cleo's bed. He toppled onto it ungraciously, tail suddenly flailing behind him. Cleo sat next to him, Lewis's face lost in blanket.

'Lewis, do you really think you're the one in control here?'

Lewis rolled onto his back, and struggled to sit up, looking whimsically at the orange tail.

'...I suppose not. But how else am I supposed to learn about this and learn to control it, if I don't do tests? Y'know,' he nudged Cleo. '_Science_!'

'Maybe there's a line that needs to be drawn somewhere, Lewis... You're messing with people's minds here – a power that can be a lot more damaging that throwing water at somebody's face.'

Lewis bit his lip, but Cleo continued.

'There is something very _wrong_, here, Lewis.' Cleo said slowly. 'I've been doing some thinking, and I'm beginning to wonder what the mermaid's motives would have been to pull a man into the pool and turn him into a merman. And with your memory power coming about... I don't have a good feeling about this. We may be mermaids, but did whoever or whatever that created the moon pool have human good in mind?'

Lewis would have gotten to his feet at that point, but he had a tail, and was wet. Cleo disappeared into the bathroom, and came back with a towel. She dried Lewis's head. The tail vanished.

'Promise me, Lewis... That you'll be careful... That you won't use this power lightly.'

Lewis was avoiding Cleo's eyes.

'Lewis!'

Lewis shook his head.

'I don't think I can make that promise, Cleo. There's... There's a feeling inside of me, that this is important. Really important. I really feel that if we learn more about my powers, that we might be able to learn more about yours, too. And Mako Island... I mean, why else would I have such a different power? We could be on the brink of a fantastic discovery! A lost civilisation, perhaps?'

'But... It's dangerous!' Cleo retorted. 'Dangerous! You can see that, can't you? What if there is some mystical civilisation being somehow held inside Mako, do you think they would be happy to see human beings messing up the place? No! They wouldn't!' She paused. 'Lewis... Promise me. Promise me, please! Don't mess with this!'

Lewis looked at Cleo, very seriously. 'I can't.'

Cleo felt her eyes burning, and her lip trembled.

'Lewis...'

But the blond shook his head. He got to his feet, and looked mournfully at Cleo.

'Maybe we should spend some time apart to think about this...' He mumbled.

He turned, and left the room, donning his sunglasses as he did so. Cleo sniffled, and flopped down against her bed, throwing the towel she had used to dry Lewis's hair across the room.

She managed to sleep later that night, although it was restless. That night, she had a nightmare. But it wasn't what she expected. She dreamt of something all the more interesting, and something a thousand times more frightening than Lewis with unknowable and dangerous power...

Her dream did not concern Lewis entirely. Lewis, Emma, Rikki, Bella, and Cleo were under the water, in the depths before the tunnel leading to the moon pool. Fish were no where to be seen, but the ocean felt so large and distant to her in that moment, as if it were her enemy, and not her friend. All around her, was a deep rumbling sound that penetrated the dark depths. Then, a swirling mass of water shot down into the water like a snake, and a whirlpool suddenly began to grow and grow, and a shadowy figure appeared inside the whirlpool. The shadow laughed and pointed, but Lewis approached it, full of daring and curiosity. Cleo, Rikki, Emma, and Bella hung on to nearby rocks for dear life, for the whirlpool was steadily getting stronger. It sucked Lewis in, and then vanished. A loud mocking laugh reverberated through the ocean in its absence, until it too could not be perceived. Lewis was gone, absorbed by that horrifying mass of water.

Cleo woke the next morning remembering the dreams she used to have of the water tentacle long ago. But this one was different, not born primarily out of fear, but out of a foreboding sense of truth. She knew she had to stop Lewis at all costs, and she was going to need Rikki and Emma's help to do it.


	5. Chapter 5: Underwater Secrets

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait before an update. I had written one chapter that was meant to be this one, but it never felt right so I deleted it. I am happy to say I am happy with this one. It makes more sense to me (in my eyes). I hope you like it. Please review, if possible. Not for any particular reason, they're just nice to get, especially if you like a story._

* * *

Lewis woke with a start, and held his hands to his face. The sharp burning feeling that had appeared in his dream across his nose vanished. Looking around his bedroom, the crescent moon shining through the part in the curtains, he thought he had seen Rikki standing outside. In fact, when he went to his bedroom window and opened it, Rikki was standing on the grass below.

'What are you doing?' Lewis hissed. 'Practising flying lessons?'

Suddenly, Lewis noticed Cleo and Emma step out from behind the hedges in the backyard, their hands outstretched. Lewis smiled apologetically.

'Look, Cleo, I told you, I'd be careful with my powers, okay? Now, if you want to discuss something, can we do it tomorrow?'

'Lewis, I did some research about the location of memory in people's brains, and … it turns out, that it's not very clear cut. What if, by removing a memory, you removed some other vital function? It's entirely possible.' Cleo said, speaking up to Lewis in a pleading voice. But Lewis shook his head.

'While I realize that's the case, it's evident that when I removed the memory of those people the other day, they weren't losing some other vital function. Now, can we please talk about this tomorrow?'

Lewis looked at each of the girls in turn, then the crescent moon in the sky. It was as if it were smiling at him... or the girls down below. He didn't know what. He shut the window, and stumbled over to bed. Suddenly, as he heard a knocking at his window, the phone rung. It was probably Cleo or Emma or Rikki. But when he turned to look at the glass window, where Emma, Rikki, and Cleo all now floated kudos of Cleo's power to manipulate the wind (prying the window open with their powers), he noticed that none of them were holding a mobile phone.

It was 2 o'clock in the morning, who could possibly be calling?

'Hello?' Lewis said into the phone, holding the phone against his ear. The three girls fell inside his bedroom, falling on top of one another. Lewis hushed their moans and complaining, trying to discern the voice on the line. It crackled, as if from far away.

'Lewis? Is this Lewis?'

The voice seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

'Hello? Yes? Who am I speaking to?'

'It's me, Will. I'm sorry for calling so late, but it's an emergency.'

Lewis's eyes grew wide. He hissed that it was Will to the girls, asking them to please shut up for a moment. He thought quickly. Was Will turned into a merman as well by Bella? It seemed unlikely, there weren't any moon pools in the United States that they were aware of, nor were there hurricanes (that he knew of) that were threatening their existence. If that was the case, he wouldn't quite call it an emergency, not something that required calling at 2 o' clock in the morning, although it was probably morning in the United States.

'What's the problem, Will? Don't worry about the time, I was woken up by something else.'

At this, he glared at the girls who were getting to their feet. Their anger at Lewis was momentarily forgotten as they realized it was Will.

'Well...' Will began, and Lewis imagined him playing with his hair as he thought of the best way to think of what to say. 'Bella's missing. Ever since a few days ago, she's been missing. Her parents only just contacted me, because I was living in a nearby area. But they haven't been able to contact her by phone or anything. And I went to check the apartment she was staying in, and there was no trace of her at all. I contacted the police and they're doing a check, but I have a weird feeling. Bella can't have been kidnapped because there were no signs of resistance at her apartment, and she had been at her home studying for the last few days.'

'Well,' Lewis began, trying to be reasonable. 'Maybe she was kidnapped while she went out to buy some food? Groceries, you know.'

On second thought, that didn't quite sound like a very reasonable thing to say.

'I know, Lewis, I know. I just... I don't know what to think. I'm worried about her.'

'Yeah, yeah, I can tell.'

'She hasn't contacted you or any of the girls, has she?'

Lewis frowned. 'Let me check.'

It turned out that no, none of the girls had been contacted.

'Anyway, do you want to continue this conversation online? It might be a lot cheaper than using the phone.' Lewis began.

'No, it's all right. I don't have any internet, anyway... Can't afford it.'

'Okay, well,' Lewis started, wondering how hard Will and Bella must have it over in the United States, 'there's something you should know. Something strange happened to us a few days ago.'

Lewis told Will, as quickly as he could, about him becoming a merman and the strange ritual the girls did. He also told Will about his theory to do with global warming. It was all a lot to take in, but Will didn't seem that bothered by it. In fact, he jumped on it.

'What if Bella tried to swim over to Mako to protect it with them?'

'What, and travel all that way? Where would she stop for food? What about rest?' Lewis asked. 'It's a bit farfetched. I don't think any of the girls have tried living in the water that long. I can't imagine what it'd do to them, physically or mentally.'

'I wouldn't be calling anything farfetched at this point,' Will said, obviously referring to the recent events. Lewis becoming a merman, his powers, and Bella disappearing. 'It's possible.'

'Well, anyway, I'd better let you go,' Lewis said quickly. 'Let us know if she contacts you. We'll keep an eye out.'

'Thanks a lot, Lewis. Watch out for the water.'

Lewis thought that was an odd thing to say. Did he mean to say keep an eye out in the water for Bella? Or watch out so he didn't turn into a merman in public?

'Yeah, I will. See ya.'

The call ended, and Lewis could only imagine how much money Will had to pay for that call. Surely it would have been cheaper to pay for the internet once a month? Lewis didn't really have time to think about Will's internet situation, however. He turned to the three girls, who were sitting on his bed, looking quite confused, and explained that Bella had gone missing.

'How on earth could the full moon affect her,' Rikki demanded, 'when she was all the way over in America and couldn't even see it?'

'Yeah, I know,' Lewis said. 'But... remember... just the mere realization that there was a hurricane at Mako made you guys act like you had been hit by the moon, even when you hadn't yet. The moon merely helped you realise your full potential.'

Emma and Rikki nodded. Cleo's forehead creased.

'I hope Bella's all right,' she said.

'She's a mermaid with special powers,' Rikki said. 'I think she'll be fine.'

And it was then that Lewis realized how strange Bella being kidnapped really was.

* * *

Lewis decided to go for a late night stroll, and stopped at the beach. The tide was quite high, and the water could be rough occasionally, so he took care to stay away from the rock beds. He approached the water, his bare feet squishing in the wet sand, and was grateful that at least the beach was deserted. He wondered where Bella could be. Why would Bella disappear a few days ago when the full moon was on? Mako was already taken care of by Emma, Cleo, and Rikki. What could she possibly do to help? He found it unlikely that she could swim to Mako from the United States in a matter of hours.

Lewis's tail formed, and he splashed into the water. The crescent moon was smiling at him, and it lit the ocean with its gentle light. The water would normally have been perceived as cold, but his body adjusted to the temperature marvellously. If his body could change shape and structure, he figured it wasn't too strange that his ability to adapt to water temperature could change too. He kicked his tail and descended into the water.

Once he descended under the water's surface, he found that it was very hard to see. What kind of merman lived in the ocean and couldn't see anything at night time? What if they lived in the very bottom of the ocean? That would surely be a huge problem. He swam for awhile, and it occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to protect himself if a shark came along. The girls had powers that could draw away other creatures. He wasn't sure what Emma would have done... maybe freeze the water around her like a shield? But he had nothing. No magical power to keep him from being hurt. Unless his controlling power extended to female sharks. Lewis laughed in his head, that was completely ridiculous. Just as he thought that, he saw a flash of light under the water ahead of him. A fluorescent green light. He ascended, looking for a boat, but he saw none. Maybe he was imagining it. Maybe it was time to leave.

He swam a little longer, steadily becoming more and more paranoid of dangerous sea creatures, when he saw a figure approaching. He stopped moving, and as he did so, he slowly sank, but not at a rate to worry anybody. His heart pounded in his chest. Was he in danger? The thing approached, and Lewis couldn't see what it was. It didn't look like a shark at any rate... Maybe it was Bella? He squinted, and soon the thing was right in front of him. A sudden burst of light in front of him startled him and nearly blinded him. The bright green light appeared a few inches from his face, but Lewis noticed a person behind it. No, a mermaid – holding the light ball in her hand. The person had long black hair, and a wide, pretty face. At least, it would have been pretty if it weren't hardened by a serious look. This mermaid seemed genuinely concerned that there was a merman here. She was asian, to Lewis's mild surprise. Of course, it would have been a surprise if he was expecting Bella, but it wasn't her – and that was even more surprising. But, to his gratitude, this new mermaid didn't attack him. With a flash, she turned the light to orange and white, and another creature swam quickly to meet her. It was another mermaid. Another asian mermaid. Where did they swim here from, Japan? Singapore? Lewis didn't know, but wondered if there was a moon pool in Asia somewhere. He wouldn't be surprised. One in Australia, one in Europe... One in Asia. Is that how it worked? He didn't know anymore.

The other girl had a longer face than the first, and her hair was a light brown colour. It looked as if it might have been dyed with blonde streaks once, but it seems they had grown out because the colour distribution was low and uneven. Her eyebrows narrowed, and suddenly Lewis heard a voice in his head. A woman's voice, with a slight accent of which he could not specify. Some part of him knew that the new mermaid that had appeared was talking to him.

'_What is your business here? Answer in your mind_.' The new mermaid instructed in a clear tone.

Lewis panicked for a moment. If these were their mermaid powers – telepathy and light making- they were completely different to the ones he had encountered so far. Everything he thought he knew about Mako seemed worthless, because now, _recently_, he had no idea what was happening. These weren't powers that manipulated water. And his powers didn't manipulate water either. Maybe Cleo was right, maybe he was stumbling across some lost civilisation. He wasn't sure, though. Lewis had to stop this jumble of thoughts, he was positive that the mermaid could hear them.

'_I just went for a late night swim. I haven't been a merman for very long_.' He decided to omit the information about Cleo, Rikki, and Emma dragging him into the pool during the full moon to transform him. It was then that he realized that thinking about omitting something wasn't omitting it at all. The very thought was giving him a headache.

The woman spoke to him in his mind, and seemed to communicate with her friend in between.

'_I have never seen these mermaids you mention, before. Neither has my companion. We only come out at night, because it is safer that way. Lots of creatures sleep. Easier to hunt. Easier to not get caught. We want to meet these friends of yours... Cleo, Rikki, and Emma._'

She seemed to wait for Lewis's response. Lewis became embarrassingly aware of how silly he must look as a merman to them, but thought desperately to the asian mermaid...

'_I have to go. I'll consider your request. I have things I need to do._'

He was sort of lying, but he needed to get away. He was also painfully aware that the mermaid was aware of everything he was thinking at that moment. Where did they come from? Why did they talk about the ocean as if they had lived in it for years? Surely they would have bumped into them at some point... like during that hurricane? But he turned on his tail, and swam, as fast as he could, back to shore. He dragged himself onto the sand, pulling himself inch by inch off the beach, the rocks, and onto the grass. It was horrible and took a long time. This was where Rikki would come in handy. It took him 20 minutes to get dry, even by rolling in the dry grass, but once he was dry and back to his normal human self, he jumped to his feet and held his throbbing head.

This night was just getting weirder and weirder. He needed to think, and he needed to sleep. His mind needed the rest as much as his body did.


	6. Chapter 6: The Lost Girls

_A/N: Okay, I wrote this just then. Hope you're not too bothered by the addition of extra characters; they're probably the only ones that will be introduced as far as I can tell. Anyway, hope you like them. What do people think of the addition of non-water related powers? To me, they're sort of water related, because they can be used practically by mermaids. But really... Who said it can't be possible? Anyway... Review if you like or hate the story. I like constructive criticism. :)_

* * *

Rikki was busy working at her business, a proud manager, organising for some businessmen to come and eat that night, when she was phoned by Lewis who sounded worried.

'Have you ever seen any other mermaids in the water around Mako?' he asked. He sounded like he was trying very hard to keep his voice steady. Rikki furrowed her eyebrows, scowling a little. She didn't have time to deal with Lewis's whimsical theories during work.

'If I had, I think I would have said something,' Rikki said, irritation tracing every word. 'I need to work, Lewis, can't this wait until after I'm done?'

'Rikki... I saw two mermaids last night who weren't you, Emma, Cleo, or Bella.'

'What?!' Rikki stammered, though it took awhile to sink in. 'Other mermaids? What? Are mermaids from all over the world coming to the moon pool at Mako because it was nearly destroyed by a hurricane? This is insane.'

'You're the only person I've told so far. I need to tell Cleo and Emma.'

'Then do it! I'll meet you at the moon pool after work. Tell the others to meet up at 5pm. This is seriously weird. How couldn't we have seen them before?'

'You're telling me.' Lewis said. He hung up. Rikki got back to work.

Lewis, however, was in his bedroom, resting with his laptop on his thighs. The sunlight was prevented from entering his room fully, mostly blocked by the curtains. He had a news document on the screen from 8 years ago. He had found it after about half an hour of searching. He thought it might have taken longer.

_Asian Students Drowned Near Mako Island_

_Police officials are currently trying console the parents of three asian girls (from left to right, Asami Naoka, Kaihan Hu, and Chiyo Mami) who had travelled to Australia to study for grades 11-12. Their study visas were about to expire when the girls were reported missing. The boat belonging to one of the girls exchange families had been reported as stolen, and it was later found on Mako Island half sunk, presumably broken against the rocks. It is assumed that the girls, not wanting to leave Australia, fled to Mako Island to hide from their exchange families who had to bring them to the airport the next day. Their bodies, however, were never found on the island nor in the surrounding waters. The three girls are currently presumed dead, but any information of their whereabouts should be reported to the police._

The picture was of the three girls in a school class, in uniform. They were smiling, and looked very happy. They seemed to be playing soccer in the uneven grass patches of a school oval, and sunshine. One was the black haired one with the wide face (Asami), one had brown hair with blonde streaks (Kaihan), and the third who Lewis hadn't seen before, was the shortest of the three and had her short black hair dyed with streaks of blue (Chiyo). It was apparently a popular colour to get in those days. The third girl had a small, polite smile on her face and a bit of a pudgy nose, yet you could tell by her eyes that she was having a very enjoyable time. He could only imagine their sadness of going back home, but he supposed he couldn't quite imagine what that might have been like. Maybe they did not have an pleasant life back home, wherever they lived?

He decided to print the paper off, to show to Cleo, Emma, and Rikki. What would Emma and Cleo say, when they realised that they were not the only mermaids in the area? All of a sudden, it seemed like Lewis being a merman was the least of their worries. Lewis couldn't help wondering what the third girl's power was, or if they had powers they still had yet to show him. He also couldn't help wondering why those mermaids, Asami and Kaihan, had approached him. Surely they would normally have hidden from the other mermaids? Maybe they sensed something was different about the weather, something was different about the … mermaid dynamics, if you were to call it that. Maybe they were finally interested in knowing more about other mermaids. Maybe they just never had an opportunity until now.

Lewis sighed, and couldn't help but wonder about them, and about himself as a merman. Was he supposed to entertain these mermaids? Was there some inherent hierarchy structure he should know about? He was the only male, and maybe even the only one in the whole world. What was it about him being male that was so important to them? Were there only some powers that men could have? What was his role?

He suddenly dreaded the full moon. He couldn't imagine what might happen this time around. Chaos, no doubt. And what about those three girls; Asami, Kaihan, and Chiyo? They had abandoned their families in order to live under the water in Australia. Maybe they were psychologically disturbed. Lewis shook his head. They seemed sane enough... Maybe just unhappy. Unhappy people can do a lot of strange things if you let them.

* * *

It was night time, and the mermaids were awakening from their slumber. Or rather, the humans were. They slept on mattresses they had pulled out from the sunken ship years ago. They slept in a hollow rock at the bottom of the ocean. The rock that Chiyo had fashioned for them for their safety and security. They kept all their old belongings such as textbooks, photographs, laptops, and mobile phones in a pile in the corner of their cave. This air bubble in the rock was perfect for that. Of course, none the electronics would work, but that was okay. The rock would then meet water, and water would extend to the outside. That is, when it wasn't closed off by Chiyo. Asami pushed her black hair out of her face, wearing the clothes she had worn for the past 8 years, and looked over to her friends, who were waking too. A bright white light shone below the ceiling, and had hovered there ever since the place was made. Asami was happy she was able to bring such light to her companions. But tonight... They had a new companion. An Australian woman who came from America, with blonde hair, and a nice singing voice. The girls were very happy to hear her singing voice, because it was very pretty. They seemed entranced by it.

'The full moon brought you here?' Chiyo had said.

'Yes... I guess...' Bella said, looking quite confused, like she had forgotten it all. She looked a little uncomfortable. 'I can't believe you girls have lived here for the past 8 years and none of my friends had found you. I'm worried to leave the ocean. There's a search warrant for me back home, and if somebody sees me here, they'll get suspicious. It wouldn't make sense.'

'We know that feel.' Asami said, smiling, realising her english was a little off. 'We have felt that way for a long time.'

Bella was intruiged. 'How haven't you guys gone crazy from all this? Wouldn't you get bored easily?'

'Not really,' Kaihan said quickly. 'I swim near shore and listen to people dream. Then I tell people when I get back. It's like a story. Keeps things interesting.'

'But what about things? Don't you ever want new things?' Bella asked. 'I know that sounds materialistic, but don't you ever want to go back home?'

The girls frowned.

'Too much time has passed for us to go home,' Asami said. 'It would be strange. Beside, it's not too bad here. We can do whatever we want.'

'Except go on land,' Bella corrected.

The girls nodded.

'I do miss going to the movies,' Chiyo said, her long black hair unevenly dyed with fading blue. 'And eating junk food.'

Bella nodded.

'I'm going to go look for my friends when the day comes. Rikki, Emma, and Cleo, they must want to know what's going on.'

Asami remembered something.

'I bumped into a manfish,' she said. 'A merman. His name was Lewis, according to Kaihan. She used her powers to read his mind.'

Bella looked surprised. Their powers seemed remarkably different from hers. She couldn't help wondering what the purpose of it all was. It was very peaceful under the water like this, and homey. She couldn't help feeling at home in the water, but part of her longed to be back in her apartment in the United States. Part of her longed for her old mermaid friends, that she hadn't seen for several years. But she was tired, exhausted, and hungry. That search would have to wait a few days while she settled into this new lifestyle.

* * *

'I think we need to stay away from the water, for now. What if they want something bad to happen to us?' Cleo wondered out loud, rolling around in the moon pool, Rikki, Emma, and Lewis nearby. Lewis wasn't in the water, though. 'It's too much at once, I think we need to let it slide for awhile, and just enjoy ourselves.'

She peered at Lewis and smiled suggestively. Lewis grinned.

'I can see your point, but at the same time, I can't help feeling curious.' Lewis said.

'Well, by the sounds of that telepath,' Rikki began, 'It might be best if we have a break and get a hold of our thoughts before we go meeting up with her. What if she gets more information from us than we want to give?'

Emma nodded. 'What if she finds out our addresses, and decides to eliminate us?'

'Well,' Lewis began. 'They didn't seem violent. They just wanted to meet you.'

'Or destroy us. How can we know?' Rikki queried, flopping her tail noisily in the water.

'I don't think I've ever needed to stay away from the water that long...' Cleo said sadly. 'It's not a nice thought.'

'Just until we survive this next full moon. That's enough time, right?'

'Yeah,' Lewis agreed, nodding. 'Should be fine.'

'Hey, guyysss.' Emma interrupted. 'What about Bella? What if those girls have captured her?'

'Good point, also,' Lewis said. 'But, I mean, you guys saw the newspaper article I showed you. They don't look like bad people.'

'But they're been living in the water for 8 years, Lewis! That's not normal.' Rikki retorted.

'It's normal for _them_. Besides, I can't blame them. It kind of makes sense.'

All of them sat in silence.

'Well, if they've been there 8 years, they're certainly going to stay there a little longer. And Bella's smart, I'm sure she'll find a way to contact us if she needs to. Most of us live very close to the water.' Lewis said, rationalising. He did think they all needed a break from this mermaid-merman drama. The thought of there being telepath mermaids out there scared him, he wasn't sure he was quite ready to get back to studying his own powers, or anyone else's.

Lewis frowned, realising something unrelated. He wouldn't be able to fish anymore, either, not unless he took super special precautions. Besides, what was the point in fishing anymore when he could swim? Sure, fishing was nice, but swimming was nice, too. If he wasn't going to be able to swim though, what's the harm in a little fishing?

'Let's go on a date, Cleo,' Lewis smiled, and he took Cleo's hand, giving it a kiss.

'Oh, yuck,' Rikki said. 'Please, not in my presence.'

'All righty, then!' Lewis laughed, and he and Cleo gave an apologetic smile to Emma and swam off, leaving Mako. Rikki folded her arms, deep in thought. Emma looked at Rikki.

'Long time since we've chatted on our own,' Emma commented. 'Do you really think the girls are bad?'

'I don't know,' Rikki admitted. 'They might not be, but we have to be careful.'

'You're starting to sound like me,' Emma said. Rikki smirked.

'Wanna go to a movie? I hear there's a new Johnny Depp movie in cinemas.' Emma said, raising her eyebrows at Rikki.

Rikki grinned. 'No way hosey, I'm so sick of that guy. He's in everything nowadays. What about a horror film?'

'I know...' Emma began. 'Maybe we can figure it out once we get there.'

'We getting popcorn?'

There was a pause before Emma replied, she was clearly weighing pros and cons such as tastiness and price.

'Yes. We can get popcorn.'


	7. Chapter 7: Bella's Visit

It had been a week since Emma and Rikki had decided to see a movie together.

Emma was just about to go to bed. She pulled her pyjamas on, picked up a book to read, and hopped into bed. She had her window open so she could feel the nice cool breeze. She didn't want to run the air conditioning. She had barely read the first page of her novel, when she heard a smashing noise against the floor. When she looked, she saw broken glass. Wet broken glass. She didn't have any glass in her room, though. She heard her mother's voice echoing up from downstairs.

'Emma, dear? Did you break something?'

'No, mum!' she called down, thinking fast. 'It's just the TV!'

Her house was perfect for echoes. But this isn't what she wanted right now. She put the book down, and approached the window, looking down towards the water. Her family had moved recently so they lived right next to the water. It was really nice. She was pretty sure her family did so because they wanted to enjoy the time by the beach when she finally moved out... whenever that was.

Squinting, Emma could make out the water as a black lake. It was night, so she couldn't discern any shapes in the water. She didn't see any people there... No mermaids. Glass could only have come from Bella, unless one of the other mermaids shared the same power as Bella. Emma turned toward the glass on the floor, and pushed her hand out towards it. In a matter of milliseconds it was frozen solid, and was held together by the now frozen clumps of water. She teased it out of the carpet, and then threw it back out toward the water where she assumed it came from.

There was no movement there. She heard only the splash. Maybe Bella couldn't talk to her up there.

Emma went downstairs and told her family she was going to check on the washing outside. This was merely a pretence. She pulled out a washing basket for the still wet clothes outdoors, and placed the basket down. She approached the water, the night light clicking on behind her. It didn't light the water, though.

She peered into the water, and then, a head emerged. A large blonde head. It was Bella. Emma only knew because she recognised it was none of the girls from the newspaper Lewis had shown her... unless there was another mermaid out there.

'Are you Emma?' The blonde asked, her hair wet. Orange scales traced their way across her neck, Emma knew the look all too well.

'Yes...' Emma said, bringing her voice down to a whisper. 'Are you Bella?'

'Yes,' Bella said, smiling and sounding relieved. Emma couldn't help but notice there were bags under her eyes.

'How did you know where I lived?' Emma asked, fear filling her chest. 'That Kaihan girl didn't tell you, did she?'

Bella frowned, and suddenly, an extra head appeared, coming out of the water. Emma jumped back in fright. It was Kaihan. Could she hear her speak from under the water? Emma looked uneasy.

'Bella, they didn't kidnap you, did they?'

Bella shook her head, looking to Kaihan with mild affection. Kaihan had dark eyes and a simple face. She would have been pretty if there wasn't a distinct impression that she had scales hidden under skin. It wasn't the case, but she had been in the water so long, Emma wouldn't have been surprised if it were.

'No. The last thing I remember is being in my apartment, when I turned the news on... And then, when I woke up, I was surrounded by them in their cave- not the Mako cave. It seems they'd been living there the whole time. But I don't remember getting there. They're really just being hospitable. They have a nice place.'

Emma still wasn't sure about this situation. Maybe they were trying to use Bella as bait to lure them out?

'You know she can read minds, right? Don't you think it's kind of an invasion of privacy, or something?' Emma said, then looking at Kaihan in the eye. 'You know it's more polite to ask for that sort of information?'

Kaihan's pretty face frowned. She looked so accustomed and comfortable in the water, but the frown distorted her face. It wasn't hard to see she had lived in the water for 8 years.

'People can't see me,' Kaihan said, a faint Chinese accent lining every word. 'None of my friends can show our faces here. I'm sorry.'

Emma started to feel bad that she had been mean to the girl. But she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. They _had_ run away, after all.

'Bella, why don't you try swimming back to America?' Emma asked. 'People are worried about you – Will is worried about you.'

Bella looked down at the water.

'Well, I would love to, only I don't remember how I got here in the first place.'

Emma remembered... Bella was influenced by the same thing that made she, Rikki, and Cleo go crazy at the notion that Mako was in danger.

'They'd like to meet you, you know,' Bella began, clearly referring to Kaihan and the other two girls. 'They've only ever had each other for the past 8 years. They haven't been on land since they first left.'

Emma couldn't imagine what that was like. She considered. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. But maybe it was. Then again... What could those girls want with them? Could they really do any harm to them?

'Maybe another day,' Emma said, suddenly. 'I'll talk to Rikki, Cleo, and Lewis about it.'

'No,' Kaihan said suddenly. 'Don't bring Lewis. Just girls.'

She blushed a little, but you could hardly tell in the dark. According to Lewis, Kaihan had been very confident talking to him the other day, so Emma didn't quite understand what was making Kaihan so timid all of a sudden. Emma remembered that Kaihan had the ability to read her mind for a moment.

'I have to go inside,' Emma began.

'Wait, Emma,' Bella said. 'Emma!'

Emma turned around and stared down at the two heads in the water.

'What?'

Kaihan smiled at her. It wasn't like the smile Emma had seen in the papers though, this smile seemed distant somehow. Maybe she had forgotten how to smile properly.

Bella spoke, interrupting Emma's train of thought: 'If you could come and visit me, that would be helpful. I really need to find a way back home before more people worry about me... But I have no idea how to do that.'

Emma nodded. She would tell Rikki, Cleo, and Lewis. They could talk about it, and come to a responsible and reasonable conclusion.

'It was nice to meet you,' Emma said earnestly to Bella, glancing at Kaihan with a mixture of fear and sympathy. 'I'll see you both.'

Emma went back inside the house, informing her family that the moon was very pretty that night that even though the washing was so wet, she couldn't help but admire the view. Emma sat back in her bed, placing her book back against her lap. A thought occurred to her. A disturbing thought. What on earth happened to those three girls during the full moon if they only ever came out at night, and were always in contact with water? Maybe they had learned to avoid it... Emma only hoped so. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what sort of power Kaihan would get if she was struck by it.

Cleo and Rikki were spending the evening at the movies. It was a long time since they had spent some quality time together. Cleo had been so busy with school and Rikki with work during the semester. They were seeing a horror movie, which Rikki was thrilled about, but Cleo wasn't. Worst of all, it was a japanese horror film. Cleo hadn't even seen half of it, and she knew she was going to have nightmares. She hissed to Rikki in the cinema.

'This is a horrible movie! It makes me think of those other mermaids out there. What if they're reading our minds right now, and know I'm a complete chicken!?'

The cinema screamed as a ghostly child appeared in the microwave on screen. The protagonist jumped with fright. Cleo shuddered. Rikki was grinning broadly.

'Then don't be a chicken. This is your chance to no longer be afraid of that kind of stuff. Besides, if anything bad attacks us, I'll set it on fire!'

'But...' Cleo whimpered. 'Fire never works against those creepy ghosts!'

'Okay.' Rikki said suddenly, and she turned to her friend. 'I'm not normally the type to go along with what you say, but for once, I agree with you. Maybe we should call it a night.'

Cleo realized that Rikki really thought she couldn't handle this kind of movie. She crossed her arms, and shook her head.

'You know what? You're right. I can handle this. It's just a movie, right?'

Rikki grinned.


	8. Chapter 8: Sea Monsters

'You're going to meet _them_? Tonight?' Lewis demanded. 'And they don't want me to come with you? I wonder why that is.'

Emma, Rikki, and Cleo were hanging out at the beach. They sat up where the grass stopped, and the sand began. It was a little windy, but the sun was out and it was a hot day so the wind wasn't particularly bothersome.

'I think we should do it,' Cleo said. 'I agree with Emma. Bella really needs us.'

'How do you know it was really Bella?' Rikki asked. 'What if it's another mermaid in disguise? What if one of them has the power to change faces?'

'That's crazy...' Cleo murmured, though there was doubt in her voice. She didn't think she really understood mermaid powers anymore.

Emma nodded.

'So, Cleo's in. Rikki?'

Rikki thought about it for a moment. From what she heard, these mermaids didn't have the most dangerous powers ever. Come to think of it, with the power to read minds and use light, it was no surprise they swam during the night. It would be too dangerous for them at day, they'd have no way to defend themselves if a shark appeared.

'All right, I'll go.' Rikki said. 'But if I suspect something's up, I'll burn them.'

Lewis forced a laugh. 'Now, I don't think we have to go that far.' He paused. 'But be on your guard. See if you can learn anything more about their powers. What happens to them during the full moon, for instance. Did they ever get their powers amplified like you guys did? They were never in the pool with you when that happened.'

Emma realized something. 'You're right. And when Charlotte was around they didn't show their faces at all, even though she attacked us mainly at night time.'

'I guess Kaihan would be able to sense people, and then avoid them. Maybe their powers aren't amplified after all... We may have an advantage.' Lewis continued Emma's line of thought, putting his hands together. 'See what they want.'

The girls nodded.

'No mind reader is going to stop us!' Cleo said enthusiastically, though her voice wavered. She was nervous about having her mind read too. What if that Kaihan girl heard something embarrassing? Maybe she was used to that kind of thing, though.

The sun was about to set. The girls got to their feet, turning toward Lewis.

'We'll call you if we need you,' Emma said, putting her hand on Lewis's shoulder.

Lewis smiled up at her, looking at Cleo and nodding.

'Be careful.'

The girls ran into the water and dove, descending into the ocean.

They had been swimming for twenty minutes, exploring areas they had already seen before. They soon found a nice cosy rock to hide under, making sure there weren't any sharks around. The sun was soon below the horizon, and the ocean became very dark. The girls all held hands, hoping they wouldn't lose complete visibility this deep in the water. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. All they could see was a faint glimmer of moonlight above their heads.

They'll find us, Cleo told herself. Kaihan and Amari will find us, and guide us back to their place.

Sure enough, after ten more minutes of waiting in the depths of the ocean, a bright red light appeared behind some coral. In a few seconds, the light emerged from the coral and a single mermaid appeared. It was Amari. Lit by red light, she made a 'follow me' motion with her hand. The girls swam after the mermaid as they ascended. Once sixty meters deep, they headed north, and slowly made their descent to a large rock bed after fifteen minutes.

Cleo had swam by this place during the day, but she had never seen any sleeping mermaids. There were none now, either. She didn't understand why Amari was taking them there. Suddenly, though, the red light illuminated the largest rock, and a hole appeared at its bottom. Amari swam in first and made a sharp ascent. Rikki, Emma, and Cleo followed in single file. Cleo knew she didn't need the powers to read minds at that moment, she could see from the look on her friend's faces that they were thinking the same thing as she was. If there was a mermaid that could move rock, would they trap them in it like that Han Solo guy in Star Wars?

The water broke, and the girls pushed themselves up onto a flat dome-shape of rock. The red light disappeared, but a white light was above them below the ceiling, so it didn't matter. Kaihan, Bella, and Chiyo sat, completely dry, on old mattresses. Rikki extended her hand and made a fist. Steam filled the room and she removed the tails on the four girls. Amari looked at Rikki with wide eyes, and Kaihan and Chiyo looked impressed. They obviously had no easy way of getting dry quickly.

'That is so amazing,' Chiyo said suddenly, her voice a little rough from disuse. She cleared her throat loudly, and moved aside to let Rikki and Emma sit next to her. Cleo sat next to Kaihan and Bella. Amari sat on the rock in front of their old belongings. There wasn't much room in there, so they had to make use of the mattresses for space. Besides, the rock would get uncomfortable quickly. There was a tense silence. Cleo couldn't help noticing how unkept the girls looked. There were a few old razors lying around and tweezers, but their hair was quite long with lots of split ends. This train of thought was interrupted by Kaihan.

'I thought it might be a good idea for everybody to introduce themselves...'

'Why?' Rikki demanded. 'You know everything about us already if you've read our minds, why don't you just tell us about yourselves, and what you want from us.'

Cleo expected Kaihan to lash out at Rikki, but she had clearly acquainted herself with that way of thinking already because she smiled broadly, showing off some slightly yellow teeth. How could they live without washing their teeth? Cleo thought. But she was distracted. She had more important things to focus on.

'More importantly,' Emma started, glancing at Rikki who nodded in encouragement. 'We're interested in knowing how the full moon affects you guys, what your powers are, and if you've ever experienced an amplification of powers...'

'Yeah,' Cleo nodded, butting in. 'If you'd like to tell us, we'd be very happy to hear about it.'

Amari and Chiyo nodded, hanging on their every word. Kaihan did not look fazed though. Maybe she already knew they were going to ask these types of questions.

'We will start with our powers,' Kaihan said. 'We discovered them over time after we became mermaids, although mine came very quickly. It was very bothersome at first, because I could not control what would come to me. It gave me very bad headaches, and I couldn't focus on anything for awhile. It was very debilitating. That said... My telepathic powers...' Kaihan thought for a moment. 'Can reach maybe 300 meters. The problem is that the further out it gets, the weaker the information I can get is. I get the clearest reception with people within 50-100 meters. I learned to control my powers though so it is highly selective. I can shut off all noise if I really wanted to.'

Chiyo looked at Kaihan and then quickly at the ground. She spoke, afraid to catch the new mermaids eyes. Bella smiled at Cleo, Emma, and Rikki. The four exchanged glances. But this wasn't the time to play catch-up.

'My power is to move and alter rock,' Chiyo said slowly. 'It doesn't seem to be very specialised to certain kinds of rocks which I find a little strange. I can't move the rocks in the moon pool, though.'

All the girls in the rock nodded. Amari spoke, now.

'I can make lights of any colour I like. Some sea animals are more receptive to some than others, so it can be useful as a hunting tool. Like angler fish.'

Cleo remembered the Angler fish. It had a light that dangled from its head and it would lure small fish to it that way to eat. Cleo imagined Amari with a light dangling from her head.

'That's it?' Rikki asked, evidently surprised. 'Can't you do anything else?'

'Well, we were getting there,' Kaihan said, apologetically. 'We did experience a power amplification once, many years ago... Shortly after we became mermaids, actually. It allowed me to speak to others with my mind, not merely read them, and it also increased the distance at which I could hear. In essence, it offered me more versatility. I can even communicate telepathically with animals and hear their thoughts, but doing so in a way they can understand, and a way I can understand, is beyond me at this point. Sometimes you can see images in their minds like fish or food, but nothing very special.'

'I can make earthquakes,' Chiyo said, softly. And this new fact surprised everyone. 'They can range in severity but it is a very dangerous thing to mess with. That was my amplication. Thankfully I can put the earth back together again, but that also can cause problems.'

Amari spoke now. 'My amplification...' She mumbled to herself for awhile, her black hair falling across her face like she was embarrassed. 'I can see in the dark.'

'Cool! You mean, without the light bulbs?' Rikki asked, suddenly quite interested. Amari nodded. Rikki continued. 'So you use the light to help guide others?'

There was a moment of silence. The girls were absorbing this information.

'What happens to you in the full moon?' Emma asked, suddenly. Bella perked her head up to listen to the answer. The girls hadn't been very open with Bella about the effects of the full moon on them until then. The three asian mermaids looked uncomfortable.

'We don't remember any of the times we've been under the moon's influence. Once one of us was hit, it is so easy to get wet, especially us living like this, so we have never been able to avoid it.' Kaihan said.

'Not even you?' Rikki asked, staring at Chiyo. 'Couldn't you make a hiding place somewhere?'

'I have sometimes,' Chiyo said, 'But I can't observe the others from there, so I have no idea what they do when they're under the moon influence.'

Emma looked really uncomfortable. She couldn't imagine what sorts of crazy things might have happened, but for some reason she thought she might have heard something if what they did was extremely outrageous.

'Kaihan has told you guys about our powers, right?' Cleo asked suddenly. Kaihan nodded.

'So what did you want from us? Why, after all this time? You've never gotten in contact with us.'

'I sensed your powers only once or twice. But we've never gone out at day time. We were frightened that you might hurt us. And... Besides...' Kaihan took a deep breath. 'We didn't think you guys would be able to help us.'

'Oh,' Cleo said, a little disappointed. 'Wait, help you with what?'

'We want to go back on land,' Chiyo said loudly. Her Japanese accent shone through very strongly, then. 'We may be mermaids, but we're also humans, and we miss having ordinary lives. If we went on land though, somebody would recognise us. The teachers we had at school here still live around here, and they probably remember us.'

'They _do_ remember us,' Kaihan said. 'It's too dangerous. We've been living here illegally for the past 8 years. Our visas expired years ago. But... Lewis.'

Cleo remembered... Lewis had the power to erase memories.

'We want Lewis to help us. We want him to come onto land with us, and we want him to erase the memories of everyone who sees us.'

'So you just want to take advantage of his power?' Rikki demanded, her voice rising to full height. Emma grabbed Rikki's arm and looked at her sternly. Rikki calmed down. 'It's just... I can see why you want to but... Don't you think it's weird that there's a merman in the first place?'

'Yes,' the ex-students said in unison.

'But we have no capacity to learn why that happened, like you.' Amari said.

Cleo looked at Bella, who looked forlorn. She clearly felt like these girls deserved to go back on land, or maybe she was worried about home. Maybe the latter.

'How are we going to get Bella back home? She was probably under some weird trance and ate weird fish we've never heard of on the way here.' Emma spoke up, noticing Bella's face. The girls all nodded, but they were lacking ideas.

'Maybe we could find a map and...' Cleo began, but Bella shook her head.

'You might not be able to tell, but I'm dreadful at directions, especially under the water.'

'Maybe if you got hit by the full moon, you'd find your way home?' Cleo said. Bella laughed.

'Yes, and convince a moon struck mermaid to leave Mako and go back to America? That'll work.' Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and Cleo shut up quite quickly. She knew Bella was upset, but she didn't need to be nasty about it. Maybe she didn't like eating fish or something.

'We ought to think on that one a little more.' Rikki said, and she looked around the mermaids, keen on finishing the conversation. 'So...' She addressed the mermaids. 'You guys just want to go to the movies and eat some fries. What then? What will you do after that? Do you have any plans to go back home?'

The asian girls frowned.

'I mean,' Rikki continued. 'You ran away to spend time in Australia, but you don't even get to experience land anymore. What do you want Lewis to do, completely erase any memory traces of you girls in every person in town, so you can live there permanently?'

Asami's eyes were red, as if she were about to cry. She burst out.

'What are we meant to do! We can't go home! We can't do anything. It would be too suspicious that we've lived alone all this time.'

'Why can't you just say that you were living on Mako and then get sent back home? What's wrong with that?'

'We hate it back home,' Chiyo growled, sounding surprisingly vicious. 'It's better to be in the water than be back in Japan.'

'Or Singapore,' Kaihan mumbled.

'Are you sure that's the girls talking, or the mermaids talking?' Rikki continued, getting more and more angry with the girls. 'You ought to think about that.'

There was a terse silence.

'I guess we're done for now,' Emma stated blankly, eyeing Bella. 'We'll find a way to bring you back home, Bella, don't worry. And... We'll run your idea past Lewis.'

Kaihan nodded, but then spoke up, suddenly.

'I thought I might tell you girls something.' She began. 'I sensed it from Lewis. It's the reason we didn't want him to come here today.'

'Yeah?' Rikki asked, quite rudely, ignoring the pinch from Emma. 'What's that?'

Kaihan looked to Chiyo and Asami, and frowned.

'He has the power to control mermaids. He hasn't completely realised it yet, but it will happen. He is a mind-changer... I am a mind-speaker.'

'How do you know?' Emma asked slowly, not quite comprehending what she was hearing. 'How can you know something like that if he doesn't? Doesn't that mean you can tell us why we've all got such different powers?'

Kaihan seemed either unable or unwilling to say at that moment.

Suddenly, she pulled a mattress out of the way and urged all the girls to look at the rock underneath. Scratched into the rock with a sharp piece, was a very accurate drawing of Lewis with the words "mind changer" carved messily underneath. It was eerie. It was extremely well drawn.

'So what does a drawing show us other than she has a talent for artwork?' Rikki said, sounding a little weary. Cleo had a very bad feeling about this. Something felt very wrong.

'I didn't write this,' Kaihan said slowly. 'It was the mermaid me... During the full moon, I made this.'

Cleo realized then that she had lied to her friends. They knew a little about what happened during the full moon. Just not most of it.

'So how do you know he can control mermaids then?' Cleo asked. 'Isn't this is just a picture of Lewis with some random words underneath? It doesn't really say all that much...'

Kaihan pushed the mattress further out of the way... There was a picture of Lewis as a merman, pointing toward something in the water, mermaids following his point with empty eyes. There was something strange about Lewis though... He had much longer hair, and large sharp teeth, and his jaw was extended like some kind of reptile. It was as if he had turned into a monster. It was a very frightening image; not so much in how it was drawn, but what it meant for the girls. Their mermaid instincts were tingling, and it frightened them; they knew there was truth in those carved images.

'Is this some kind of joke?' Cleo asked.

Kaihan shook her head.

Emma's eyes were wide. Rikki had lost her breath. Asami, Chiyo and Bella all showed signs that they had never seen something like this before. She had been hiding it, evidently. Kaihan stared at the image, her eyes glazed over.

'So... you're saying you're some kind of prophet?' Emma asked.

Kaihan nodded slowly.

'I don't entirely understand it myself, but that's what happened.' Kaihan turned to Bella and her friends. 'I'm sorry I didn't say earlier. But... Bella... This might be a way for you to get home.'

Bella stared at Kaihan with disbelief. The light above their heads even flickered, as if the uncertainty in the rock cave was causing Asami's powers to falter. Bella could go home? That is... If they could convince Lewis to do it. But why wouldn't he? He'd be happy to help out an old friend.

The image of Lewis with sharp monstrous teeth and long hair stayed etched into their minds. It was scary. Lewis was such a kind and clever person; how could he become a monster?


	9. Chapter 9: Campaign

Lewis dove into the ocean and swam deep, deep down. He was beginning to get used to the change from human legs to scaley tail. He followed Cleo's directions to the girl's rocky hide-out and batted his fist on the large rock. His long glistening tail reflected the sun like a disco ball.

He couldn't muster enough strength under the water to make much noise. He felt that if he was able to talk to Kaihan, then maybe they would be able to discuss the drawing carved into the rock. Then again, Lewis reasoned, they would have told the others about any other information they knew... Maybe. He wanted to see it for himself. It might give him some magical merman sense... Or something. He was pulling at straws, he admit it.

Nonetheless, he waited five minutes before turning back. It was clear that the mermaids inside were in a deep sleep. Maybe the rock prevented all noise from getting in. All he could do, he realised, was to go back at night time if he wanted to talk to them.

He thought about what the girls, Cleo, Rikki, and Emma had told him, and he had immediately tested Kaihan's theory by ordering Rikki to pour water over her head when they were in Cleo's house in her bedroom.

'No,' Rikki had said bluntly.

'You feel no urge to do what I said at all?' Lewis queried. Rikki laughed.

'No, I don't! Maybe Kaihan was lying.'

'She wasn't lying,' Cleo said. 'You could sense it – we all sensed it. She was telling the truth.'

'I think it's freaky how she could sense something like that...' Emma said. 'Shouldn't you be at work, anyway?' She directed this question to Rikki, who shook her head.

'I got a few days off,' she replied. 'And yeah, I agree with Cleo, I was only joking. We _did_ sense it. It was like that time I saw the tentacle and it tried to communicate with us. You could tell there was something special about it. It's like that. There's something special about this, and her drawing.'

The three girls nodded, and Lewis looked dumbfounded.

'How am I supposed to know when I get this power? Am I supposed to change shape or something, or was that image completely metaphorical?'

Cleo frowned. 'What about the full moon?'

Lewis gulped. 'You're right. That's a few weeks away. We have to learn as much as we can about this before that happens. You're all happy to stay at my place?'

'I don't think your parents would be happy about that,' Emma commented. 'Three pretty young girls alone with a teenage boy?'

'Nah, it's fine. They know we're on holidays. We'll rent some movies, and that'll be that. I have a basement and it has its own toilet down there, and there are absolutely no windows. Sounds convenient, huh? We could camp out there.'

The girls nodded. It was a pretty good idea. In the past Lewis's parents had prevented him from bringing the girls over, but they were pretty secure about his relationship with the girls now. They had been friends for years, after all.

Lewis ran the scene through his head as he swam through the water, observing the fading coral and the fish as they flitted away. He liked swimming, it was comfortable and felt right. No doubt there was some merman or mermaid instincts coming in there, but... It was peaceful. That had to be the thing he liked most about it. On land there were humans everywhere and everybody wanted things from you, but not the fish. They couldn't care less whether your hair was in style or not.

Lewis thought deeply about Bella for a moment. If he had the power to control mermaids and he told Bella to go home, and she did... what then? What if another weather disaster occurred and she just came straight back again? That was a huge problem.

Lewis considered going to the moon pool to think some more, but he got a brilliant idea. He could start a campaign to help people to recycle. He grinned. Maybe he could get girls to recycle more, and preserve water, and use their cars less and use public transport more? Surely if he helped control carbon emissions that way... everything would be okay? The weather wouldn't go crazy then, right?

He knew exactly where to go.

He pushed himself through the water at an incredible speed. It was so convenient how fast he could go. Unfortunately, it was so easy for him that it wasn't a workout of any kind. So much for going to the gym, he thought sadly.

Lewis reached his secret fishing spot where Rikki was waiting for him patiently.

'Have you made a decision yet?' Rikki asked. Lewis nodded, determined.

'Yes.' He said, grinning broadly as he prepared to tell Rikki his fantastic idea. 'I'm going to start a energy conservation campaign.'

Rikki smacked her hand into her forehead.

Lewis did some quick research on social psychology theories on improving campaigns on his laptop in the library, especially for conserving the environment. He couldn't just order all the girls in the country to be more energy efficient. He had convince the guys as well. Besides, as the girls followed suit, the guys would too, surely. He did ponder the ethical implications of the whole thing, but decided there was nothing bad about it. When he saved the world, people would thank him that he had manipulated them against their will. Lewis smiled broadly and pulled his sunglasses down against his face as he prepared billboards and readied a camera in the middle of the street a few hours later. He figured it would be best if he made a video. He could publish it online at reach the whole country, or even America, Asia, or Europe.

He felt motivated. He hadn't told the girls about his plan yet, he knew they might object to it, especially if it involved manipulating people, but... he had to do something. Their lives were at stake! The sanity of all mermaids (and mermen?) on the planet depended on it! Besides, he wasn't so sure what was going on with his relationship with Cleo at the moment. In a group it was easy to forget about it, but when they were alone... Well... They avoided being alone together.

He spoke into the camera, taking his sunglasses off.

'I think everybody should listen carefully to what I say,' Lewis began, grinning like he was about to win the lottery. 'Global warming is becoming more and more of a problem, as indicated by the recent weather changes.'

He carried on like that for some time, and tried not to look at female pedestrians in the eye as he spoke. Unfortunately, this was hard to do. His plan couldn't work if he kept his sunglasses on. But they didn't jump at him. Instead, they listened intently to his speech. He knew he had gotten through to them by the end of the video, even if they didn't have a choice in the matter. He decided to publish the video online.

'Tell all your friends about this video,' he declared at the end of it. 'Saving the world should be our top priority. As living creatures on this precious planet of ours; Earth, we have a responsibility to upkeep.'

He was very proud of the video; it was well referenced and was clear and concise. It quickly gained a million hits. It even made the news, as Lewis and the girls found out a few days later. Unfortunately, Cleo was staring at him about it the next time they met, at the moon pool. But what could he do?

'I have no regrets about my decision to make that video,' Lewis said stubbornly. 'It's for our own good.'

'I know,' Cleo said, surprising Lewis. Rikki and Emma exchanged glances, and then swam away. They knew this was a private moment for them. Lewis's hair hung across his face like a stray starfish. Cleo pushed her hair back out of her face as she approached Lewis and touched his arm. 'I think this is a … _responsible_ way for you to use your powers.'

Lewis raised a heavy eyebrow. 'Okay, so before you were freaking out about this and now... you're okay with it?'

'Well...' Cleo began, her cheeks going pink. 'I thought about what you said. About thinking about it. And I realized, we can't hide from this. And you can't hide from your power. It's going to influence your life whether you like it or not. Like, when you go back to school,' Cleo's voice wavered at the thought. 'You're going to be giving presentations and stuff, and have to give advice about science, and you're going to have a larger influence on people – women, I mean.'

Cleo went silent. Lewis took this opportunity to speak.

'Cleo, I know you were very unhappy about this at first. But... I'm glad you're able to support me about this now. Besides, it's not like I'm telling them to dunk their heads in the toilet, I'm helping improve people's lives here, and ultimately, the life of the planet.'

His eyes shone as he said this. Cleo slipped towards him and kissed his cheek.

'Mermaid and merman powers,' she said. 'They're interesting, and strange, but... I think you're right to exert more control over this. It can only be a good thing, especially if we need your help in a tight spot. We'll need to have as much control over it as possible.'

Cleo smiled at Lewis gently. Lewis was still trying to comprehend her change of heart, but he realized that that change of heart is something he went through already, and one that Cleo went through when she discovered her powers. Powers are forced on you, and you have to find a way to incorporate it into your life. That's the way it was.

'Want to come back to my place?' Cleo asked Lewis, smiling suggestively. The young adult grinned broadly.

'Sure. I can even tell Kim to stay out of your room for ever.'

Cleo brightened. 'That's right! She's always such a pain, and we can finally do something about it.'

The two joked around some more before heading back. Cleo and Lewis swam next to each other across the barrier reef, a warm glow in each of their chests, as they made their way back to the beach, to shore. They even spotted a sea turtle on the way back.

When they got out of the water, Cleo used her power to pour as much water off them as they could. Then they flopped on the sand and soaked in the sun's rays as they dried on the white sand. It stuck to their fins, but it vanished when their legs reappeared. They got to their feet, ready to head back, when Cleo grabbed Lewis's hand.

'I think you should try help those girls out, Lewis,' Cleo said suddenly. 'What happened to them is really quite tragic, and they didn't have much control over it. They were young when it happened, they didn't know any better, but now they've gotten themselves into a mess. And... I mean... it could have happened to anybody. And if you were in the same position, you'd want help, right?'

Lewis nodded silently. He wasn't sure how easy it would be to erase the memories of people who knew the girls, even vaguely, but with the help of Kaihan, he was sure he could do it. He had been so distracted over the last few days about that video, and replying to questions about it and criticisms, that he had forgotten about the girls, and that carving.

'Okay. I'll go later tonight,' Lewis said. And he sat down on the beach once they had reached a particularly sunny and populated area. He yanked Cleo down to sit next to him, and they lied back down, and rested their heads against the sand. 'Stay with me for awhile? We can go back to your place a little later. I just want to stay by the beach a bit more.'

Cleo nodded, resting her head on Lewis's chest.


	10. Chapter 10: A Night Out

Lewis peered at the carving in the mermaid cave. Not the one at Mako Island, but the one created by Chiyo for her friends and Bella.

Bella peered at Lewis's expression. It was like his eyes were glazed over, and he was spacing out. Kaihan, Asami, and Chiyo stared at Lewis like an elephant in a dolphin enclosure. His eye twitched at the sight of the carving, of his face, and of the monster directing the mermaids around. He turned, and stared, very seriously, at Bella, Asami, Kaihan, and Chiyo. He seemed intent on pushing it out of his mind.

'Okay, now that I've seen that... Who wants to go back on land for awhile?'

Chiyo, Kaihan and Asami all cheered, squealed, and wrung hands together. Even Bella, who had to adjust to sleeping during the day, smiled for them. Lewis blushed at the sight of them. It was really obvious that they wanted to go on land so badly. It was night time, so what they could do was limited. But at least they could hang around town.

They swam to the beach and flopped off onto the beach. Rikki was there, hired by Lewis as a bodyguard.

'Our powers are pretty much useless,' Lewis had told her earlier that day. 'I'll pay you to burn anyone if things get out of hand – that includes the three mermaids. I have no idea what they're going to do.'

Rikki had taken the twenty dollars with a wide grin on her face, but now she was serious. She dried the four of them quickly and then approached the three girls whose eyes had lit up. They staggered across the beach with their legs as if they hadn't walked on sand for a long time. Rikki addressed the three of them, before they got too far.

'Now, I know you're all excited and stuff, but don't go crazy, or I'll burn you.'

The girls nodded, listening attentively, and then they pointed to a nearby McDonald's.

They all screamed, and approached, holding the wallets in their hands that they had clearly kept from a long time ago. As they ran ahead, Rikki ducked back to walk by Lewis's side.

'They're crazy,' Rikki grinned. She couldn't help but share their joy, but something was bothering her. 'But still, I don't see why they didn't just camp out at Mako.'

'Poisonous snakes... Red back spiders... funnel webs...' Lewis ticked a number of hazards off the list. 'Plust the occassional hiker. Do you know how many times people go up there? Zane and his friends? It would be too risky for them.'

Rikki sighed, exhasperated.

'I just get the impression that they are hiding something from us. I mean, Kaihan can read minds – wouldn't she have been able to tell who would recognize them or not, especially after all these years?'

'Maybe they're people we see around a lot.' Lewis commented.

Rikki frowned.

'It's still weird to me. I don't quite trust them.'

The girls were loitering at the front of McDonald's, waiting for Lewis and Rikki to give them permission to enter. Lewis nodded, and they scurried in, ordering a large fries and a hamburger.

Rikki and Lewis sat at a bench while the three girls stuffed their faces across the bench.

'And they reek like fish! Can't we give them some soap or something? Or a hair cut? Or toothpaste?'

Rikki complained. Lewis turned to her.

'Look, we'll go to the shops next to get them some supplies, but unless you're willing to pay for extras, stop whinging about it,' Lewis grumbled. But he had to admit, the girl's breath stank. They hadn't eaten anything but fish for the past eight years, and their teeth were yellow from dental plaque.

After McDonald's, they went to pick up some deodorant, new clothes, a large box of soap, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss. They even found a hair salon that was open until late. Lewis was sure to wipe the hair dresser's memory before they left. He didn't even need to talk about it at this point, he just intended it to happen and if he questioned the hair salon lady afterward (Rikki did it too, just to check) they held no memory of the event whatsoever.

'That's a creepy feeling,' Lewis commented, after they left. 'It's like I can feel a pressure in my hand, and then it vanishes.'

'Huh,' Rikki commented. But she had to run after the three asian girls as they ran off with their new stylish hair cuts. 'Wait! Slow down!'

They stopped outside a bar. The girls were looking enthusiastically down the steps to its entrance.

'We're looking for a man,' Asami said proudly. 'It gets very lonely at the ocean.'

Rikki shook her head, and dragged the girls away. 'Okay, no. Maybe another day.'

The girls lit up. 'Another?'

'If you decide to stop living underneath a rock!' Rikki exclaimed.

Next they went to the cinema. Rikki went in, only because she was the bodyguard. Lewis sat next to her and fell asleep in the movie; a sappy romantic comedy. Rikki almost barfed half way through. What a sickening movie, she thought.

They went to eat at KFC, and they even bought candy.

It was thirty minutes later when the girls all stopped, holding their bellies with strained looks on their faces.

'Where's the public toilets?' Chiyo choked. 'I feel horrible.'

Lewis looked around and pointed in the right direction. 'Over there.'

He turned to Rikki. 'You should go in with them.'

'Me?' Rikki stammered. 'But... What if they spew everywhere?'

'Then it's your job to clean it up!' Lewis said. 'You agreed to help out.'

'Yeah, to protect them, not clean up their puke.' Rikki said.

'Okay, fine, if they puke, leave it be. Just keep an eye on them.' Lewis urged.

Rikki begrudgingly followed the three girls into the toilets. It was horrible. The girls had all gotten diarrhea. The smell was dreadful. The girls in the stalls couldn't help laughing their heads off though. It must be pretty embarrassing for them, Rikki thought. Their stomachs must have been accustomed to eating fish all this time, the minute they put something else in, splat!

'I'm just going to wait by the door,' Rikki told the girls. And as she left she found a button that turned on the fan. At least now her nostrils were no longer being violated. It was an excrutiating ten minutes, and Lewis even called from outside to ask how things were. He was still out in the hall, obviously.

'They're fine. I think they're nearly finished,' Rikki called back.

'Doing what?' Lewis asked.

'Girl stuff, Lewis,' Rikki said, lying outright. The three girls exited the stalls with pale faces and washed their hands with liquid soap three times before leaving. They smiled at Rikki, grateful for the cover.

'That was awful,' Kaihan commented, her pale face puckering. 'Maybe it's better we stay in the ocean after all.'

Asami made a face. Rikki followed them out of the bathroom.

After going to the fair and the rides that was on that time of year, they approached the ocean and sat on the shore. Lewis sighed, and patted Rikki on the back.

'Well, we did it. We gave them what they wanted.'

'But...' Rikki murmured, watching as the three girls tried to make a sandcastle without getting wet. 'We haven't. They still have to go back into the water.'

'Well... That's their decision.' Lewis said, simply. 'If they want to go back on land, for good, then Kaihan should write a list of every person who remembers them, and give it to me. The police probably think they're dead. But I could erase those people's memories and they can go on leading a normal life.'

'Relatively normal, I guess,' Rikki stated.

Lewis nodded, looking out toward the moon. It was half full. He gulped, remembering the drawing he had seen Kaihan draw. 'But yes... It's their decision, not ours.'

They watched the girls as their toes were hit by a steady wave, and their tails appeared seconds later. They dragged themselves back into the water, and Rikki ran towards them, closely followed by Lewis.

'Did you guys have a good time?' Rikki asked, remembering the bathroom scene and screwing her nose up.

The three girls laughed. 'Aside from the bathroom incident,' Asami commented, and she smiled up at Rikki, her grin barely lit by the moonlight. 'We had the time of our lives. Thank you.'

Chiyo and Kaihan nodded in agreement.

'Do you want to come back to our place?' Chiyo asked them. Lewis and Rikki shook their heads. Rikki turned to go home, telling Lewis she would see him tomorrow. Lewis, on the other hand, kneeled, and spoke to the girls.

'Look, if you guys ever want to come live on land like normal girls,' he began. 'relatively normal,' he corrected. 'Then, please, don't hesitate. Give me a list of the people who remember you, and I'll erase their memories.'

Kaihan frowned, another wave hitting her and rushing over her tail.

'People think we're dead. If we're going to go back on land, we need to come clean. We'd need to tell people that we've been hiding in Mako all this time. And then... We'll see what happens.'

Asami nodded in agreement.

Lewis looked at the three girls, and felt sorry for them. What a mess, he thought.

'Kaihan,' he addressed the girl with brown hair. Her blonde streaks had been redone that night, so her hair looked very nice. 'Contact me if you need me for anything.'

The girl nodded. 'Do you have our things?'

'Oh!' Lewis said, and he ran back to the sand and picked up the shopping back. He brought it back to the girls, who held it between them. 'Be safe.'

The three girls nodded, and then pulled themselves into the ocean. With a flick of their tails, they were gone. Back into the dark depths. Lewis turned to face the top of the beach. No one in sight. He looked back to the ocean, wearily. He decided he would go back to the ocean another time. For now... He needed to rest...


	11. Chapter 11: The Full Moon

It was two hours until the full moon. Emma, Cleo, and Rikki all sat in Lewis's basement, anxious.

'Look,' Lewis went over their plan again. 'There is no freaky weather tonight, I checked the news already. Just forget about it.'

Cleo nodded, and rested her head in Lewis's lap. They were currently hogging the couch. Rikki considered interrupting them, but she decided to busy herself with the heater instead. She pushed a few logs inside, and then set them alight with her power before shutting the metal door. Soon the place would be toasty and warm.

'So...' Cleo said, suddenly, addressing Emma and Rikki who were slipping into their sleeping bags and under blankets. 'Do you girls have anyone you like?'

'Oh, like businessmen who come into the cafe?' Rikki asked in mock cheerfulness. 'No thanks. Boys aren't on my agenda recently, sorry to disappoint you!'

Cleo didn't give up hope.

'What about you, Emma?' she nudged Emma's shoulder with her pedicured toe. 'Anyone at school?'

'Well...' Emma began. 'There is this one guy I like. But he hasn't made a move or anything.'

'Have you made a move on him?' Lewis asked, and when all the girls stared at him he said, 'Well, you can't expect us guys to do all the work, can you? Guys like a girl with initiative.'

Rikki rolled her eyes. Emma smiled.

'So, what's his name?' Cleo asked.

Lewis propped his laptop up onto his lap where Cleo was no longer resting. She was pulling a spare blanket over herself. The room wasn't quite warm enough yet.

'His name... Is Tracey. He's doing chemistry, like me.'

'What is it with you chemistry geeks?' Rikki asked. 'Personally, I don't see what's so fascinating about it.'

'It describes the way every single molecule and atom on the planet and entire universe work and interact with each other,' Emma said loudly. Rikki held her hands up to her ears.

'Okay, okay, sorry!'

'What's Tracey like?' Cleo asked, ignoring Rikki.

Rikki, in the meantime, opened a packet of chips.

'He's funny... and smart... but...' Emma frowned, taking a chip out of the bag Rikki had just opened. 'I can't really see it going anywhere. I should really give up on him.'

'He doesn't like you?' Cleo said. Emma smiled, and shook her head.

'It's just the mermaid stuff,' she said. 'Like with Ash. I mean, I knew I could trust him, but this Tracey guy... He acts like a jerk in front of his friends, even though he's a completely nice guy otherwise. But I don't think I can trust him with that sort of... information.'

'Well,' Cleo began, being very enthusiastic about the whole thing. 'Who knows? Maybe he is trustworthy. You'll never know unless you get to know him better!'

Emma nodded, 'You're right, Cleo. I should shoot him an email or something.'

Rikki crunched loudly on chips.

'Anyone wanna watch a movie?'

It was just when the moon was about to rise, that things started to get very strange. Even though there were no windows and the room, and nobody had been in contact with water, Lewis started to shiver, as if he had gotten a fever. Cleo felt his forehead, but shook her head. Rikki turned the movie off.

'He feels... fine. I don't know what's wrong with him.' Cleo said.

'He's just cold!' Rikki said, and she pulled a blanket around him. The room was perfectly warm, though. He continued to shiver. 'LEWIS. WHAT. IS. WRONG. WITH. YOU. SPEAK. TO. US.'

Lewis only glared at Rikki, and he panted and huffed as if he were doing a marathon.

'It's...' Lewis began, and his eyes widened. He hunched over, clutching his ribs. Then, something extraordinary happened. He grew a tail! His long orange tail appeared, and he flopped onto the floor, clawing at it, as if he were trying to swim. His clothes had vanished. His tail smacked against the floor, as if to propell himself.

'What wrong with him?' Emma asked, looking to her friends with confusion. 'He didn't touch any water. Is it the full moon?'

The girls all looked around for some sight of the moon, but finding none, they turned to look at Lewis's computer screen. On the screen was the moon chart... but there was nothing abnormal about it. He had no other tabs open. Cleo shut the laptop screen and knelt down to where Lewis was scratching at the floor.

'Lewis, it's me, Cleo, just calm down... okay? It's just us... we're not going to hurt you.'

Then Lewis's hair began to grow longer, and Cleo's eyes widened.

'Oh my god,' Emma said suddenly. They all realized what was happening.

'Hey, why can't I grow my hair like that?' Rikki asked, touching Lewis's blonde hair that was descending past his waist. 'I've been meaning to grow it out for ages.'

Emma glared at Rikki. 'This isn't the time for jokes.'

'Do you have any better suggestions?' Rikki asked.

Emma was silent.

'Let's push him onto his back,' Cleo said. 'Maybe if we can see his face, we can comfort him.'

Nobody had any better ideas, so with their combined strength, all of them lined at Lewis's side, they pushed. The merman flopped onto his back. Suddenly Lewis stopped moving, his eyes were closed.

'He fainted...' Emma said, checking his vital signs. 'Yep, he's definitely not dead.'

But Cleo pushed his hair away from his face, and screamed at the sight of it. Instead of a human face was an elongated, reptillic jaw with large sharp teeth. His eyes were slanted so they were almost sideways on his face. With a glance at his hands, Cleo noticed that there were scales growing on them, and huge orange claws extended from his nail beds.

Emma and Rikki exchanged glances with Cleo. They were all thinking the same thing. Lewis had become a monster. The image from Kaihan's carving was etched into their minds. Was he going to order them around? What would he say?

'Lewis is still in there somewhere!' Cleo cried. She peered anxiously down at her boyfriend. 'Maybe when he wakes up we'll be able to reason with him?'

'Forget it,' Emma said. 'We can't take any chances.'

She looked at one of the blankets and tore of a long strip. She tied it around Lewis's neck and mouth, like a gag. Rikki raised her eyebrows, staring at the long jagged teeth.

'What's the deal with this?' Rikki asked, completely lost. 'Why do mermen look all freaky?'

'Maybe he's our protector,' Cleo said, wondering. She stroked Lewis's hair, wondering when he would wake up. 'Maybe he's some sort of bodyguard for us?'

Emma and Rikki had no idea, but Emma pulled Cleo away from Lewis.

'You have to stay away from him, what if he rips you to pieces?'

'He can't do that,' Cleo said, determined. 'It's _Lewis_. None of us have ever hurt each other from the full moon, right? Technically we're all the same, right? We're all mermaids, and merman -'

'Mer-demon, more like,' Rikki said, but Emma shushed her.

'so maybe he won't hurt us,' Cleo finished, lamely, hopefully.

'There's only one way to find out,' Emma said, and they all sat on the couch, waiting for Lewis to come to. Five minutes passed, and Lewis didn't stir.

'This is freaky. It's like he's a were-merman or something. Like werewolves.' Emma said.

'That's really screwed up. Mermen and werewolves should have nothing to do with each other.' Rikki commented, disturbed by Lewis's strange appearance.

'Maybe it's more like a shark?' Cleo pondered out loud. 'I mean, It's not quite wolfish. I don't know what's with the hair, though.'

Suddenly, Lewis's eyes opened, and tears formed in his eyes. The creature – no, Lewis – groaned into his gag, and ripped it out with his claws.

'Nice try,' Rikki mumbled, defeated.

Lewis pushed his claws into the ground behind him, and propelled himself up.

'Take me to the ocean.'

The girls felt overwhelmed with a steady, peaceful feeling. They realized that they had no reason not to bring him to the ocean. It was Lewis's voice. Maybe he knew something about the ocean they didn't. Maybe he would be able to explain all this mess at the end of the night.

'Okay,' Cleo, Emma, and Rikki said in unison. They wrapped Lewis in blankets and then carried him outside. Lewis's house was a few blocks away from the ocean, but they tugged and dragged him out between them. A long tongue slid out of Lewis's jaw to clean his teeth. The voice was definitely Lewis's. Besides, maybe if they brought him to the moon pool, it would be safe. Suddenly, Cleo heard a voice in her head. A voice with a distinct chinese accent.

'_Don't bring him into the water!_' It told her.

'_I think it's a perfectly reasonable thing to do_,' Cleo thought back, smiling faintly at the sight of the full moon. '_Our Master needs us._'

But there was no more word from Kaihan. Maybe she had decided to come help them with Lewis, she wondered. He was pretty heavy, so the extra help would be welcome, she thought. Soon, they saw the beach in sight. This was a pretty secluded part of the beach. Their feet sank into the sand as they approached the roaring ocean. Lewis's eyes were staring up at the moon, in a daze. He looked like he had never been happier in his life. Cleo knew the feeling, the moon was very beautiful at this time of month.

Cleo exchanged glances at Rikki and Emma, and they nodded in unison. As they reached the water and the cool ocean licked their ankles, their tails appeared, and Lewis was dropped into the ocean. The four dragged themselves out towards the water, and dived.

They had barely swam a twenty meters when a light appeared. It was Asami! The light grew brighter and brighter, and the girls had to stop swimming and shield their eyes. A strange, loud shrieking noise came out of Lewis's mouth, like some kind of deformed dolphin. It was then Cleo realized... Lewis's face looked like a very angry dolphin... with large teeth. She didn't quite understand it. When did dolphins have claws on their hands? Since when did dolphins have hands?

But the shrieking noise that came from Lewis made a remarkably large amount of sense. It was telling them what to do. And the light Asami made died down so it lit the area around them perfectly. Asami looked alarmed at Lewis's face at first, but she seemed quick to adjust. Soon, Kaihan and Chiyo appeared like drones at Lewis's command.

It was starting...

* * *

_A/N: Be sure to review and tell me what you think! If that floats your boat that is._


	12. Chapter 12: Time to Panic

Lewis woke the next morning with a large headache. He felt cold, and shivered. He rolled over on something hard, his eyes squeezed shut. He heard screams in the distance and shouts, yelling.

'Ugh... Can't you all just shut up and let a guy sleep?' he mumbled, but he was becoming increasingly aware of his discomfort. Why was his sofa so damn cold? He didn't remember it being this uncomfortable.

He opened his eyes, expecting to see his basement, maybe he was sleeping on the floor? Maybe the heater was off. But now he understood what all the yelling was for. He let out a yell at the sight of his surroundings. He was sitting on a glass floor. In a glass room. With intricate green and blue orbs hanging in glass spheres against the see through walls. Through the walls, he saw sky, and the ocean. He squinted, but the glass wasn't that visible. He ran across the hard substance, hoping it wasn't about to break underneath him. The sun beamed above his head, shining through the semi transparent substance.

'What the hell happened last night!?' Lewis yelled, and he heard yells down below him. He reached a glass spiral staircase, and he descended. He bumped into Cleo on the way down. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

'What the heck happened to us, Lewis?' she asked, sniffing loudly. 'I just...'

Lewis grabbed her arms and gave her a shake. 'How could we be hit by the moon last night? I don't remember anything. That basement was full proof!'

'I know,' Cleo said, and they exchanged a tight, desperate hug.

Then they turned and descended the steps. They entered a large ball room, also made of glass. Those pretty glass spheres hung from the ceiling, filled with orbs of every colour; red, blue, green... Lewis saw Rikki and Emma in the center of the room, arguing loudly. They ran toward Cleo and Lewis when they caught sight of them.

'What the burning firey mermaid crap happened last night?' Rikki demanded, looking around and their surroundings. 'We're in a damn castle!'

Emma was wide eyed. 'Do you remember anything, Lewis?'

'No,' Lewis admitted. 'I don't remember anything.'

Then they realized... _Kaihan_. Kaihan might have drawn something somewhere. They explored left and right, every corridor and room in the place, but there weren't any carvings in sight. It was only when they left the glass castle, exiting onto the rocks which just happened to be near the moon pool back-entrance, that they heard voices coming from below. They descended to the moon pool, but not before they got a good look at the glass giant behind them. It was indeed a castle. It was huge, and covered the entirety of Mako Island.

'People are going to have a field day,' Lewis mumbled, as he rushed toward the moon pool where Asami, Kaihan, and Chiyo were resting in the water. It was day time, and they were never up during the day. Bella was sitting against the wall, completely dry. She looked like she was in shock.

There was an uproar of voices as they all gathered in the moon pool cave.

'What happened?' Lewis demanded, looking particularly at Kaihan. Then, Kaihan pointed at the walls of the moon cave, and Lewis's eyes followed her finger. On the walls were a number of images, cave drawings, of the castle, and all the mermaids. Underneath Cleo, Emma, and Rikki's pictures were the words "offensive/defenders", under Bella and Asami's were "architechs", and under Chiyo's was "shield". Kaihan had the words "mind speaker" underneath it, as she had described once before, and under Lewis's (albeit Lewis with a monstrous face and claws) said "mind changer" and one more word "Master".

'This is too weird,' Rikki commented. All the girls slumped against the walls like Bella. Lewis's eyes couldn't leave the walls. 'It's like some weird, freaky cult.'

'Did I get hit by the moonlight?' Lewis asked. 'Did I tell you guys to make this place?'

'I don't know how,' Emma said, in shock. 'The basement was full proof...'

'I know,' Lewis said, and he thought for a few moments. Kaihan then pointed to another drawing on the ground, that Lewis was standing on. It wasn't quite a drawing, though. It was a message, made out of rock. Perhaps Chiyo had helped make it?

This is what it said:

'_The new kingdom is beginning,_

_For creatures of the ocean,_

_A castle to protect us,_

_From the winds that do threaten,_

_Our old and lonely home,_

_The sea._'

Lewis groaned. 'That doesn't make any sense. The winds and the ocean go together like peas in a pod. This is a load of pseudo mermaid mumbo jumbo.'

Everybody exchanged glances.

'We have to get rid of that castle!' Lewis stammered. 'We have to. Bella? Asami? Destroy it!'

'We tried already,' Bella said, grumbling, 'But there's something weird about it. We can't do a thing to change it.'

Lewis was the one to slump onto the ground now.

'So that's it. We have no control over this. We have to give up our powers.'

'Yeah?' Emma spoke up. 'And how do you suggest we do that? Jump into the moon pool and say 'pretty please'?'

Lewis shrugged. 'Maybe.'

Rikki got to her feet, and started to approach Lewis.

'You make me _sick_. Your stupid campaign has done nothing to change any of this. We must be overlooking something really vital. Your global warming hypothesis was a load of crap.'

Lewis was thoughtful. 'Maybe the castle is metaphorical?'

'Oh please,' Chiyo was the one to speak up now. 'It's right outside, there's nothing metaphorical about it.'

There was silence in the cave.

'I tried burning the place down,' Rikki admitted, sadly. 'But it's almost like the full moon last night strengthened it or something.'

'There was nothing strange about the planetary alignments last night,' Lewis said slowly. 'So... I don't know...'

The were all depressed, and completely freaked out. This was _certainly_ a good time to panic. Cleo remembered the dream she had a long time ago, the dream about the whirlpool, and Lewis getting sucked into it. And the dream... the ocean was her enemy in that dream. There was a lost civilisation around Mako, and they were living again through Cleo and the others. This was a nightmare.

'Maybe we should go back home... and think about this on land. I'm getting the creeps being down here.' Cleo admitted.

Rikki and Emma nodded in agreement, and Lewis followed behind them as they jumped into the moon pool and swam away. The water was cool and pleasant, completely normal. Exactly what they expected. It was a relatively relaxing swim, but what they found on land erased all peace they had garnered on the way over. What they found was something completely unexpected. Mermaids and mermen... _everywhere_. None of the mermen had the freaky face Lewis had, but that was only a small comfort. They were flopping on the ground like fish out of water, not mermaids. Cleo and Rikki stared at them all. The ground was completely soaked. The people were all yelling and complaining at each other. Some were laughing and rolling around, using powers at each other, like turning water into mush, or making small mounds of earth grow out of the ground. It was too much to take in. Cleo, Rikki, Emma, and Lewis were completely stunned.

What had happened...? Had the whole town turned into mermaids and mermen? Into... _fish_?

Cleo suddenly looked pale. She felt sick to her stomach. She ran toward the nearest rubbish bin and vomited inside of it. She caught the eye of the mermaid on the ground next to the bin. As she lifted her head up, however... she realized it was Miriam. Miriam held out her hand out and Cleo's hand froze against the rubbish bin. Cleo screamed.

'Why don't you explain to me what's going on, Cleo?' Miriam demanded. 'We all saw you, and Emma and Rikki. You guys were pulling us into that freaky pool on Mako Island. And now look at us!'

Cleo looked back toward Emma and Rikki who were staring at the people flopping on the ground like sick baboons. Some of them had even fainted from shock.

'We did this to everyone?' Cleo repeated. Emma and Rikki reached Cleo's side, taking care to avoid the water puddles. Rikki helped Cleo unstick her hand from the bin.

'Yes! Now help me up!' Miriam exclaimed. Rikki held out her hand and steam dried the whole beach and street. Her tail disappeared and Miriam got to her feet. She breathed deeply, and then exhaled loudly, trying to compose herself and take in what had happened. It seemed they had all been flopping around on land for hours...

'I'm sorry, Miriam, we really had no idea what was going on. Full moons,' Cleo began, looking at the floor and feeling extremely guilty, not to mention sick. 'Make mermaids act _really_ weird.'

'Weirdest of all,' Miriam said. 'was Lewis!'

She scowled and approached the boy. Lewis raised his hands above his blonde head.

'I'm sorry, Miriam, but I don't remember _anything_. It's like I was drunk, and I have a hangover... except from the moon. If you stick around long enough, you'll understand.' He spoke really quickly, trying to make his point as soon as possible before Miriam attacked him.

Miriam ignored Lewis's words, and stared at his mouth like there was something interesting about it. Lewis remembered the drawing of him. Did he really grow that scary reptile mouth during the full moon?

It seemed like that might be the case.

'Anything you might remember,' Lewis pleaded. 'Please, Miriam, I know we haven't seen each other for years and you probably still hate all of us, but we really need your help, or anybody's help right now. Something weird is happening to all of us. We need as much information as we can get.'

Emma looked around the street and saw her mum and dad, and Elliot, all getting up from the street, completely bewildered. Cleo noticed her dad and Sam and her little sister too. They were getting up as well. They had all been turned into fish as well...

Kim sneered at Cleo as she approached them.

'I knew you were lying. I knew you were a mermaid,' she grimaced. 'And now, I get to enjoy all the fun, too!'

She held out her hand, and burned Cleo's wrist that had previously been frozen by Miriam.

'Ow!' Cleo said.

'Now now,' Don began, nudging Kim in the back. 'Be nice to your older sister.'

'Whatever,' Kim said, and she turned on her heel. 'I think _I'm_ the coolest mermaid around.'

Cleo stared across the street, where people were talking to each other and complaining. Some looked at Cleo, Rikki, and Emma with frightened looks. Some of them cheered and ran toward the ocean, maybe to swim out to that huge castle on Mako Island. Cleo watched her family walk back home, discussing the events of the previous night. Cleo clutched her stomach again.

This was a disaster, Cleo thought. A _complete_ disaster.

* * *

_A/N: And thus the title "A Formula for Panic". Maybe a bit late in the story, though. Still, I hope people have stuck around long enough to get this far! _


	13. Chapter 13: Blackout

Emma found her mother and father in their living room with Elliot. They were all holding mugs of hot chocolate, and went silent when Emma appeared in the doorway. Emma knew what they had been talking about. They knew that she had lied to them about being a mermaid, after all these years. That and the whole town grew tails last night.

'Um,' Emma began, placing her handbag on the kitchen bench. 'I can explain.'

Emma's mother and father exchanged looks.

'Emma,' her mother began. 'Why didn't you tell us about this sooner? It would have made it a lot easier for us to understand why you quit the swim team. I assume that's why you quit, after all.'

Emma nodded, slowly. 'I'm sorry, mum. But, you have to admit, this would have been strange news.'

To Emma's surprise, her mother seemed sympathetic.

'I know, dear,' she said, frowning. 'This is a very strange time for everyone in town, today. The reasons for your actions last night were unclear, though. Your father and I have been doing a lot of talking since then. And we'd really like some answers, Emma. Especially since you, Rikki, Cleo, and Lewis all seemed to be in on the big secret.'

'You helped Cleo pull everyone into that pool on Mako Island,' her father continued. 'You weren't yourself, Emma.'

Emma noticed her parents had bags under their eyes. They obviously hadn't slept ever since they had become mermaids and mermen. It must have been very confusing and frightening for them. Emma remembered the first time she changed; she had been mortified. Not merely because of the strangeness of the situation, but because of the implications it would have for her future life.

Elliot crossed his arms.

'I don't want to be a dumb fish. Now I can't surf anymore.'

Elliot had been surfing for a few years now, having practiced for awhile. Emma knew how much surfing meant to Elliot. It meant about the same to Elliot as swimming had for Emma. She frowned, and sat down on the kitchen stool. Emma pushed her hair back behind an ear, and began telling her family about how she, Cleo, and Rikki had become mermaids and discovered their powers. She then went on to tell her family about the full moon, mentioning her father's birthday party that had been a complete disaster thanks to her as she did so, and how Lewis was changed, and other weird things that happened during the full moon. Her parents listened with raised brows, and Elliot with a worried face. Emma also mentioned Charlotte, Cleo's siren singing voice during the full moon, about quitting the swim team and how she dealt with the change, and of the responsibility that came with being a mermaid. When she had finished, her parents looked defeated.

'So you're saying that there's no way to change back until another 45 years?' her mother demanded, looking shocked. 'I may as well be dead by then.'

'There's no other way _that we know of,_' Emma corrected her. 'Mako has always been a mystery to us, and now more than ever. I think we need to address the town about this.'

'Good!' Her father said, giving Emma a notepad. 'Because people have been coming round – the phone lines are all dead. They want you, Rikki, and Cleo to address the town at the beach later this evening.'

'What about Lewis?' Emma asked, looking at the scrawled notes on the notepad – similar questions that her parents had wanted answers to.

'Lewis too,' her father continued. And he put his head in his hands. Clearly this wasn't the sort of thing people accepted over hot chocolate; especially if the whole town was involved. At least there was some sort of support network for people. Still, they couldn't deny what was happening was real and serious. They knew there was a responsibility, and they knew how important it was to stay calm in a situation like this.

'Before I go talk with Cleo, Lewis, and Rikki about this...' Emma began. She smiled faintly. 'I was just wondering what your powers are.'

'Powers?' her mother asked, looking confused. And then it hit her. 'Oh yes, that. Yes, well, it was certainly interesting for us to find out. When we were all on the beach, swamped with everyone else, there was a bit of a panic and … everybody started using their magic powers... if you call them that.'

Her father nodded in agreement, finishing his hot chocolate and picking up the empty mugs on the bench. He placed them in the dishwasher. He poured white powder in the machine and pressed a button on the side.

'I have the power to make light orb thingies,' Elliot smiled. He held his hand out, and a small white orb of light floated in the palm of his hand. He made it disappear. 'It's kind of cool. But I would rather have a power like dad's.'

Emma turned to her father and mother and raised her eyebrows. He seemed to have forgotten about the dishwasher.

'Well,' her mother began. 'I have the same power as you.'

'Freezing things?' Emma repeated. Her mother nodded.

'I suppose it'll be easier to cool things down in the summer,' she said, nonchalantly. She was probably too shocked about the whole thing to have many feelings about it.

'I can make water move,' her father said, suddenly. He demonstrated this by making a tube of water slip out of the tap and float in mid air. Elliot cheered and clapped his hands with glee.

'See? How cool is that!?'

Emma smiled faintly, but then she remembered what her dad said earlier. _Cleo and her had helped put everyone into the pool._ A question snapped prominently into her mind. How could the whole town be put into Mako's moon pool last night? It was such a small pool, not everybody could fit, nor in such a tight time frame as the moon went overhead. When she asked about it, the answer surprised her.

'There was a glass ball placed above the Mako cave.' Her father recounted. 'I'm not sure how it got there, but it was huge. You and Cleo had strung people together like beads on a string, and pulled them into the Mako pool and out again. In through the top and out through the bottom. The change into mermaids and mermen was instantaneous. But that's not all. The moonlight defracted at the top of the Mako cave from that glass ball- it was sort of like a disco ball. People had been forced into the water at the beach by Rikki, who scared everybody out of their homes – but Cleo had drawn a lot of the men and boys there by singing. I remember, because I was in a daze from being woken up by it. And I just followed the crowd. But, anyway... The moonlight bounced off the glass, and hit people in the water. That was where me, your mother, and Elliot were. And the water bubbled and this strange light came off it – sort of like sparks - and then our clothes were gone, and we had tails and scales instead.'

Her father paused. Emma's eyes widened in surprise. She really had to talk with Cleo, Rikki and Lewis. But she had the impression that they were going through the same talk with their parents – they had to be. It was all so strange...

'That's odd,' Emma commented, not knowing what else to say about it. Of _course_ this whole situation was strange. 'But... Thanks for telling me.' She thought for a moment. 'I'm really sorry about this, but … I couldn't _do_ anything... It was out of my control. It's just... bad luck.' She offered, sitting up. 'But I'll talk to the town about it. I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out.'

'Oh,' her father mentioned, just as she got upt to leave. 'Would you check the power to the house on your way out? The dishwasher, and, well, everything in the house is dead.'

Emma nodded faintly. Her mind was numb as she repeated the story of last night in her head. Cleo was singing like a siren, Rikki was scaring everyone, Cleo and her pulled everyone into the moon pool. Bella made a disco ball thing that refracted the light, and everyone in the ocean that night was changed... instantly. Not overnight like normal. As she went into the garage, she didn't expect it to be a simple blackout. Her phone was completely busted, too, when she had checked earlier. She guessed that everyone else's was too. But she wouldn't turn down her dad on a simple request like 'check the power', not at a time like this.


	14. Chapter 14: Family Dynamics

As Cleo walked home with her family, she had to explain to them repeatably that she was sorry, and that she didn't know why the whole town were turned into mermaids and merman.

'It's the full moon...' she explained, glaring at Kim who pranced along in front of her up a grassy slope. 'It does strange things to mermaids.'

Don just patted her on the back.

'Look, Cleo. We'll talk more about it when we get home.'

Cleo stepped back and walked behind her dad and Sam as they made the winding route home through streets. A few neighbours even came up to them to try and get answers out of Cleo, but she shook her head.

'Maybe I can talk to everyone later at the beach, or something?' Cleo suggested. The neighbours nodded, and said they would spread the word.

As they walked, Cleo couldn't help but wonder about last night. How could so many people be turned into mermaids and merman? The moon pool couldn't fit a whole town. And what powers did Don and Sam have? She couldn't help but be curious. Typical Kim, having Rikki's power. Cleo scowled. Kim probably knew it was Cleo who kept influencing water to squirt in her face when she was in a bad mood, like when Kim complained about doing the dishes for her. Who would do the dishes now? Cleo sighed. She didn't think she would have much of an upper hand anymore. The thought was a little annoying. Sam appeared by her side as they walked.

'I'm sorry about last night,' Cleo admitted. 'I really don't know what happened, or why. I swear.'

'I believe you, Cleo.' Sam said. Cleo stared at her. She was smiling. How could she be smiling? She was a mermaid now! But Sam continued. 'Obviously what happened last night was strange, but I'm sure we'll have a better idea of what to do once we sit down and talk about it.'

Cleo nodded. 'You're right. We should try to stay calm.' Her voice was completely flat though; she felt miserable. Sam rubbed Cleo's shoulder.

'Try not to worry about it. Your father and I aren't mad at you, Cleo. It doesn't seem like what happened last night was your fault. You seemed possessed.'

Cleo was grateful that Sam was being so nice.

She didn't know what exactly happened, but Mako would surely be overrun with people, now. That thought annoyed her, too. It had always been her, Emma's, Rikki's, Bella's and Lewis's place. Now it was going to be overrun with goons... like Miriam.

What if the whole world found out about this? Cleo thought, her face getting pale. It wasn't an easy thing to hide. What if they had been on the news or something last night, and it was broadcast to the entire world? Cleo shuddered at the thought.

'We can have some breakfast while we talk. I'm pretty hungry, aren't you?' Sam said, interrupting Cleo's train of thought.

Cleo nodded. She fished in her back pocket for her phone, and tried to turn it on. But it didn't work. Maybe it was water logged.

Once they were at home, they sat around the kitchen table while they got some breakfast and ate.

'What was up with Lewis?' Kim demanded, suddenly, once everybody was situated around the table and ate cereal. 'He looked like some kind of mutated dolphin.'

Cleo grit her teeth together. She really wasn't in the mood for Kim's nonsense this early in the morning.

'Kim!' Don warned. 'There's no need to make nasty remarks about Lewis!'

'Well, did you see him?' Kim sneered. Don shook his head. 'Well there you go. Cleo's boyfriend is a crazy mutant man.'

Cleo's fork clattered to the table. She got to her feet and held out her hand. Kim grinned at Cleo, eyeing her outstretched hand with amusement.

'What are you going to do? Splash milk at me? I can always just change back if that happens. I have Rikki's power – the best of all!'

Cleo could feel the anger inside of her triple.

'You're not going to let her talk to me like that, are you?' Cleo demanded, directing this comment at her father.

'Of course not,' Don said. 'Kim. Don't be mean to your sister.'

'That's all?' Cleo cried. 'Why don't you ground her or something?'

'Well...' Don began, and he looked at Kim's hands wearily. 'I don't like to get burned, Cleo!'

Cleo scowled. 'Don't let her control you! It's just a bit of heat. Besides, Kim wouldn't ever try to really hurt you, would you Kim?'

Kim smiled and shook her head. 'Lewis is a mutant man!'

Cleo snapped. With a twist of her hand, a huge gust of wind flooded through the house. It was directed at Kim. The noise was terrible, and everybody's hair whipped around their faces. Kim's cereal bowl flipped off the table and landed on her lap. She yelled, and flopped to the floor ten seconds later. The cereal bowl crashed against the floor, cereal, milk, and glass, crashing everywhere. Cleo withdrew her hand and the wind stopped. She exhaled loudly.

'Wind?' Kim stammered. And she looked down at her orange tail and held out her hand. Steam rose from it, and she got to her feet within a few seconds. 'Wind? That's completely unfair! How come she has more than one power?'

Sam got to her feet suddenly. She turned to Cleo and Kim, her eyebrows narrowed.

'Look, girls, I'll be frank with you. I think you're both acting very irresponsibly. We're here right now because we want to listen to Cleo's side to the story. We want to know what happened to us, and why. But we can't do that if you keep threatning each other.'

Don nodded silently. Sam eyed Kim, who promptly sat in her chair.

'What about the milk?' Kim asked. 'And the cereal? The bowl is broken!'

'Kim,' Sam began, speaking slowly. 'I really don't have the patience for this right now. We're going to listen to Cleo, and then you guys can go do what you want. I don't care what. I would like sleep, for one.'

Cleo felt for a moment that maybe she did have the upper hand over Kim, but she couldn't be sure. It seemed like the family dynamics were still the same, even if they all did have powers. But... Cleo took a deep breath.

'Okay,' she said. 'I'll tell you about how I became a mermaid.'

When her story was done, and she had finished answering questions about the full moon and what happened to mermaids during the full moon, there was a ring at the doorbell.

'I'll get it,' Don said. There was a terse silence. Kim stared at her legs forlornly. When Don returned, Rikki was with him. Her blonde hair looked discheveled, but Rikki looked relieved when she saw Cleo.

'It's pretty crazy, huh? What's been happening.' Rikki said, quickly. 'You know we're doing a talk later, right? Emma's waiting outside with Lewis for us to go chat.'

'Oh,' Cleo said. 'I guess so. I was... I was just going to ask my family what happened last night.'

'It's okay,' Rikki said. 'I can tell you.'

'I guess that's settled then,' Sam said, and she smiled at everyone around the table. 'Now, if you all don't mind... I'm going to bed.'

Don nodded, and followed her up the stairs. Kim peered up at Rikki and Cleo hopefully.

'Can I come with you guys?'

'Um... No.' Rikki said, bluntly, looking to Cleo for help. Cleo shook her head.

'But I have your power!' Kim exclaimed, looking at Rikki with wide eyes. 'Can you show me how to make lightning? You made all the electricity in town _die_, you know.'

'Oh, I know all right.' Rikki said, grumbling. 'But no, you're not coming. And no, that's not how powers work. Go hang out with your own friends.'

Rikki and Cleo were at the front door, ready to to lock the door, when Kim's face appeared in the gap between the door and the house. Cleo groaned.

'I'll help you guys set up! Please, just, let me hear more about mermaids and your powers!'

Rikki and Cleo ignored her, and left her in the house. They bumped into Lewis and Emma waiting in the middle of the street. Lewis had a black eye.

'Lewis!' Cleo exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug. 'What happened!?'

'Er...' Lewis began, trying to hide his black eye with his hair. 'Nothing!'

'Nate punched him.' Rikki said bluntly. 'But we can talk about that later. Let's talk at that cave those asian chicks made. We can't go to Mako anymore. There are loads of people there, partying in that freaky glass castle like morons.'

Emma nodded in agreement, deciding to change the subject.

'How did your parents take it, Cleo?'

Cleo shrugged. 'I dunno, things kind of seem the same.'

'Yeah,' Emma said, smiling, her eyes glazed over as if she was imagining some distant fantasy. 'Same here. I'm so glad I don't have to lie to my parents any more. They seem a lot more understanding of me quitting the swim team.'

The four trotted down to the beach, deciding to take a more secluded route. There were people everywhere; on the streets, on the footpaths, and on the grass. They made their way through trees and bushes, and carefully made their descent to an empty part of the beach from a steep sandy path. Without another word, they lept into the water.

* * *

_A/N: If you've stuck around this far, what do you think? Reviews are appreciated! I've also changed the story summary to better reflect the story (I hope). Any suggestions or criticisms are appreciated. I actually really like writing about Kim being snotty. She's actually a really fun character to write._


	15. Chapter 15: Hideout

The ocean was normally their place. But now, you could see mermaids and mermen swimming around, back and forth between land and Mako. It was like a violation of all things normal. Rikki, Cleo, Emma, and Lewis hid behind a rock behind some tall seaweed and watched two figures with long orange tails pass above them.

Rikki glared at them as they passed, and Lewis didn't bat an eyelid. Cleo and Emma both exchanged glances as they watched. It was Mirian and Nate, swimming towards Mako island. They couldn't see their faces, but they didn't particularly want to. Once they were sure the two orange blips were out of sight, Emma poked her head out, looked left and right, and indicated for the others to follow.

Rikki was so tempted to heat the water around Miriam and Nate, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. They had powers too, and they were fish like them. They felt connected to the ocean like they did. Couldn't they all share it?

Rikki grit her teeth and followed Emma and the others as they swam west, aiming for the rock where Bella, Kaihan, Chiyo and Asami were no doubt hiding. Maybe they were having a nap.

Rikki didn't like the idea of sharing very much. Maybe she wasn't used to it yet, it was hard to tell. The ocean used to belong to just her and her friends, but now even her enemies and people she didn't even know, inhabited its depths. The thought was slightly unsettling. She swam behind Emma, Cleo and Lewis. She stared at the sea turtle hovering above the sand below her. She looked at the coral nearby. Of course, Lewis's scheme to prevent global warming wasn't going to change the acidity of the ocean any time soon. The coral would continue looking ugly, brittle, and pale for awhile, maybe even five more years.

The large rock was looming ahead. Rikki noticed Bella hovering outside of it, her eyes darting from side to side. When Cleo and Lewis caught up, the four hovered in the water in front of the cave, exchanging glances. It was easy to tell, Rikki thought, that she wasn't the only one unhappy with the ocean around Mako being taken over.

Bella pointed up into the cave, and they all followed her in, passing Chiyo on their way up. Chiyo closed the hole behind them. Once they ascended and flopped onto the cold rock, Rikki was quick to dry them all off. They were all grateful to have their legs back, even for a few minutes. It was suddenly becoming obvious that this cave was getting a bit small to house all of them. Nobody said anything. Chiyo held out her hand and made a few forceful pushing motions with it. As she did so, there was a rumble, and the rock they were standing on expanded, the walls moving backward at the motion. The entire cave was stretched and melded into a larger one. Asami made a twisting motion with her hand, and a few extra lights appeared; green and blue.

Rikki looked around, and went to sit against an eastern wall. She sighed.

'This place might look nice with some windows,' she commented, eyeing Bella with a gleam in her eye. Bella frowned, shaking her head.

'Too dangerous. Besides, do you want every other mermaid and merman around here knowing where we hide out?'

Chiyo shook her head, and sat next to Rikki. Rikki crossed her arms.

'I adjusted the rock outside so this place doesn't look like a mushroom. It looks like it forms a wall with the rest of the rock around us.'

Cleo nodded in approval, holding hands with Lewis and moving to sit on one of the old mattresses.

'Good idea, Chiyo.'

The girl smiled, her short and recently cut black and blue hair gleaming from the glowing orbs above their heads.

There were a few moments of silence. They all sat and thought about what was happening, and what they could do about it. Then, Lewis spoke up.

'So... I hear there's a party on Mako Island?'

Rikki groaned.

'They're ruining the place! They have no appreciation for Mako Island. It's not the place for a bar tab.'

Emma looked equally unhappy. 'I know. The only comfort we have is that maybe this will blow over after they've gotten over the initial... _excitement_ of being mermaids and having magical powers.'

Lewis nodded, clenching his fists together and making them do the tango.

'This is so... _frustrating_! And what about the press in all this? Have we be filmed? If so, how would we know?'

'Well...' Rikki said, shrugging. 'The press is completely busted up here. They're probably mermaids and mermen too. From what I've heard, last night I went bonkers and used my lightning power to destroy all the electrical and communication circuits in town. Soon enough, some people from out of town are going to get suspicious. And tourists. The damn _tourists_!'

Cleo gasped, suddenly realising. 'What about SeaWorld? None of the dolphin trainers will be able to ride on them anymore!'

'Forget about the dolphins,' Lewis laughed mirthlessly. 'They've got a whole town of fish to take care of now. How about training some of them? Like Miriam and Nate.' Lewis pointed to his eye. 'Nate punched me because of what I did last night – something I wasn't even in control of, or aware of. It wasn't even my fault. Someone needs to teach that kid how to _listen_.'

Bella suddenly spoke up, her voice croaking.

'Did any of you contact Will like I asked you to?'

Cleo nodded, remembering. 'Yeah, I phoned him the other week. Don't worry.'

'Are my parents still worried sick?' Bella asked, her forehead creased. 'I really don't want them to worry about me, but I guess there's not much I can do about it.'

'Well, of course they're worried,' Cleo said. 'But don't worry, we'll figure something out.'

Bella stared at her bare feet against the rocky bed. 'Yeah... Yeah, I guess.'

'More importantly,' Lewis began, speaking louder. 'What is going to happen the next full moon? We have no control over this, and we have no control over the people in town.' He paused, waving his hands about. 'I mean, I do have control of the girls, but not the guys. Besides... Worst of all...' Lewis gulped, catching Cleo's eye and squeezing her hand. 'I have to go back to America after the next full moon. What will I do? I'll go crazy, grow a mutant face, and I don't know... be locked up in my school's research department! It seems like I'm not affected by the moon in the same way as you guys. I'd have to lock myself in a room with no comprehensible way out.'

'I dunno how well that will work,' Rikki butted in, pointing at her teeth. 'Those fangs and claws of yours looked pretty tough. Who knows what will happen?'

For the first time that afternoon, one of the asian girls decided to take a stab at the dilemma.

'What about... if I go to America with you?'

It was Chiyo. Kaihan and Asami make choking noises and gasps at the mere suggestion. Chiyo attempted to smile, and looked toward Kaihan and Asami. 'I have decided that I don't want to be stuck in the ocean for the rest of my life.' She coughed faintly, before continuing. 'I will contact my family, and tell them about me, and go to the police, and get my identity updated. And... Maybe... _Maybe_ I could go to America.'

There was a long silence as her words sunk in. She had spoken clearly, but hesitantly. It was a big decision to make.

Lewis put his hand on his chin in thought. 'You're saying your rock power will work to keep me isolated during the full moon?'

Chiyo shrugged.

'No idea. But it's worth a short.' Her English was pretty good, but her Japanese accent was still quite strong. Lewis nodded silently, obviously deep in thought.

'We could use next month as a trial run. Everyone could use headphones so you don't hear anything I say.'

Rikki had to admit she was impressed. She had been sure the girls would be intent on staying in this rock forever. They always seemed so uncertain about leaving. But... Rikki had to admit, this Chiyo chick had guts. She liked her. Even if she was kind of short and had a pudgy nose. Maybe getting out from their rock those few weeks ago did them some good.

'If that doesn't work out, I'm sure there's someone around here with the power to move rock who can help you. Right?' Emma asked.

Cleo nodded.

'You'd have to contact your family out of town,' Cleo told Chiyo. 'I'm sure Lewis could accompany you, and Rikki.'

Rikki scoffed. 'Yeah, thanks for asking me, Cleo.'

Cleo protested, but then went silent.

'So... What time are we needed at the beach for that talk?' Emma asked.

'A few hours. At sunset,' Lewis said, recalling the instructions he had given everyone. 'After that I'll go to the library and see if I can find any books with information about lost civilisations. Because... Like it or not, agree with it or not, this mermaid thing is starting to look remarkably like one. The sorts of things you'd see in mythology books. And books are the only source of information we have at the moment. All transport out of the city is pretty much busted.'

Rikki grimaced. 'Yeah... Sorry about that.'

'No, no,' Lewis said, quite sincerely. 'It's probably a good thing. This way we can delay people reaching us. But not for long. It's possible there are strangers among us on land, and who aren't aware of the whole problem. We can't be sure of that. But it's possible they left early if that was the case, if all the power was out.'

'Good,' Rikki said. 'The less people get involved, the better.'

Lewis frowned at Rikki. 'Again, I reiterate; we _delay_ people reaching us.'

All of them were silent for awhile. Rikki was suddenly aware of how smelly it was in here. Sure, last time she had come it was a fishy smell, but now the fish smell was covered up by the strong smell of soap – pine scented.

Suddenly, Kaihan spoke, her Chinese accent prominent.

'Rikki... There is somebody out looking for you.'

Rikki raised her eyebrows, genuinely confused. Who could be looking for her to the point where Kaihan was able to pick it up?

'Who? Does somebody want a coffee or something? Tell them the machine's broken.'

Emma shushed Rikki. Kaihan took a deep breath, her long hair falling around her face like curtains. Her face was pale. She rubbed her temples, as if she were trying to ease away a sudden headache.

'It's somebody called Zane.'

'What!?' Rikki yelled, her voice echoing in the cave noisily. 'What's he doing here after all these years?'

'He was doing some private business for his father, apparently,' Kaihan murmured. 'But that's not the problem.'

'What? He's a fish now, and suddenly he wants to be my boyfriend again? No way. He was a jerk before, and he's a jerk now.'

Rikki felt her blood pressure rise. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, she had no choice but to have Zane come stumbling back into her life. Things were over between them; she wanted nothing to do with him.

Kaihan coughed, holding a hand to her head. Maybe Zane was being particularly noisy in her head. Rikki wouldn't have been surprised.

'He wants to know why he has Cleo, Emma, and your powers,' Kaihan told Rikki. And then Kaihan removed her hand from her head, her eyes gleaming, apparently back in the cave where they belonged.

Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Lewis, Asami, and Chiyo all stared at her.


	16. Chapter 16: Kings and Queens

The beach was completely packed with people. Lewis, Cleo, Rikki, and Emma stood on top of a large rock mound looming out of the ocean water near the shore. They had to yell from up top, but somebody had clearly set it up so they didn't get bombarded with people. Luckily, they didn't seem to get bombarded. Maybe people were too intimidated by them to attack them.

Rikki spoke first, cupping her hands to her mouth and yelling.

'Shut up, everybody! We want to talk to you all about being mermaids and mermen! We need your complete and undivided attention.'

'Always the smooth talker, Rikki,' Lewis murmured. But Rikki elbowed him. The hum of noise died down. Some people floated in the water around the rock with long orange tails, and others sat, completely dry, on the beach. The group on the rock could recognize a few people, but not many. They just wanted to get the facts out, and what they knew, so they could devise a strategy. What this meant for the town, and the world...

Cleo decided to speak first, and told her part of the story. But in the end, all had pitched in. They spoke of how they became mermaids, problems they had encountered, the full moon and its effects, the role of the moon pool, what they had learnt about mermaid powers, and in general the overall uncertainty of everything they had encountered so far.

Lewis was the one to speak last. He expressed concerns to the other mermen about becoming monsters like he had, and suggested a trial involving rock isolation if they hoped to keep this mermaid thing under control. He and the others talked about the carvings they had found on the walls, although lying and saying it was done by them during the full moon, not Kaihan.

'They seem to suggest that a complex hierarchy system exists within mermaid communities,' Lewis yelled out to the crowd, his throat getting quite sore. The eyes he met below him were wide eyed, yet serious, regardless of gender. 'It seems to suggest that mermaid societies existed before this all happened. Perhaps before humans even existed.'

Lewis knew it was a strange thing to contemplate; human like sea-creatures with the ability to live in the water. He realized something, in that moment.

'Perhaps the creatures that lived before us weren't human at all. Maybe they appeared like I did during the full moon. I'm not sure why I appeared like that more than anyone else; it's a complete mystery to me. But maybe mermaids are really the weird hybrids, and they were really pure reptillic amphibian things before humans got involved. Maybe the moon pool broke and something separated them.' Lewis coughed loudly. 'But this is purely speculation. I plan on doing some research later this evening.'

There was some muttering from the crowd. Suddenly, Emma yelled out to the crowd.

'Can anyone who doesn't have the power to make light, move rock, freeze, heat, move, turn to jelly or crystalize water, please come see us! You can all go about your business now. Just remember, don't talk openly about this. There could be strangers among us. The last thing we want is for strangers to get involved.'

The crowd dispersed. Some swam out to Mako Island, and some walked home, perhaps wondering when they would be able to get the electricity fixed. Once the crowd dispersed, it became easy to see the final person standing below the rock on the sand. A tall man with straight brown hair and a crooked, mean grin. It was Zane. With some quick hand movements, he froze a circular patch of water near the shore, and stepped onto it with his black shoes. With another movement, a huge pulse of water elevated the frozen ice platform up to the rock. He stood on the ice patch, looking at Cleo, Emma, Lewis and Rikki with a small grin. He then directed his attention toward Rikki.

'You'll never believe this,' he said quickly. 'But I have the power to move water, freeze water, and heat water. Just like you three.' He pointed to Cleo, Emma, and Rikki. He let the words sink in. Cleo, Emma, Rikki, and Lewis exchanged glances. They already knew thanks to Kaihan, but Zane obviously wasn't aware of that.

'Okay,' Lewis began. 'Thanks for letting us know.' He tried to brush Zane away, but he didn't leave. Zane grabbed Rikki's hand tighly. Rikki screwed her nose up at the mere motion.

'Rikki. Swimming is amazing. You have to come with me some time.'

Rikki pulled her hand out of his grasp, and took a deep breath. She sighed, forcing a smile.

'Look, Zane. It's very exciting for you that you have all three powers. But I'm not interested in going out with you, not as a human, and certainly not as a merman. Please... We've been over this.'

'But I understand now,' Zane stammered. He pressed his tie down against his breast. 'I am sorry that I was not very understanding about the mermaid stuff all those years ago, but please, give me another chance. I've changed.'

'Yes...' Rikki agreed. 'You have changed. You've gone from being a human jerk, into a fish jerk. But before I leave I have a question for you - you have all the mermaids in town to hang out with, and you chose me. Why is that?'

Zane looked at Emma, Cleo, and Lewis. The three promptly got the message and Cleo used her wind power to ease the three to the ground where Rikki and Zane were out of earshot.

Zane stepped onto the rock, making his ice-water platform disappear below them.

'Because... you get me.'

Rikki scowled. Yes, she got him _once_. But that was a long time ago. If he wasn't willing to believe her on something important (like the mermaid tentacle) back _then_, what made him think he would do the same _now_, about something non-mermaid related? Rikki wasn't willing to deal with it. She was over Zane. Over all boys for the time being. This was her time.

'Look, Zane. I'm happy for you... That you're able to understand what I was going through. But I don't think you've changed very much in here,' she tapped her temple with her fingers. She smiled gently at Zane, whose face was beginning to look like it was about to explode. 'Just... Please. Leave me alone. Go play with your other mermaid friends in that freaky castle on Mako. That's what all the cool kids are doing.'

With that, she jumped off the rock and splashed into the water meters away. It was deep enough there that she wouldn't injure herself. Zane watched her orange tail disappear into the water. He eased himself back off the rock and onto the sand with the ice-water platform. He walked away from the shore and sat down on the sand at the top of the beach. The sky, orange at the start of the talk, was now a deep crimson. He watched Lewis pass him a few minutes later, no doubt to go to the library, with a glare. Suddenly, he felt somebody sit next to him. It was a young girl with blonde hair. He recognized her, but couldn't remember where he had seen her. The girl smiled broadly at him.

'Who are you?' Zane asked.

The girl smiled at him.

'I'm Kim - Cleo's younger sister.' Kim said. Now Zane remembered. He rolled his eyes.

'Sorry, I don't have time to play with kids.'

Kim scoffed.

'Hey, I'm not a kid anymore!'

Zane glanced over at Kim. She was wearing a summer pink dress. His eyes glanced over her figure. Maybe she wasn't lying.

'I'm eighteen now!' Kim said loudly. Eighteen was the age one legally became an adult in Australia. 'But that's besides the point. I know you're interested in Rikki. I'm _also_ interested in Rikki. I followed her this morning to a cave west from Mako Island. She and Cleo and Emma and Lewis are all hanging out with these new mermaids that nobody has seen before. It's kind of weird, don't you think?'

Zane raised an eyebrow.

'Not anymore, I guess. Everybody became mermaids and mermen last night. And we don't know everybody in town.'

'Well,' Kim began. 'No, but-'

Zane decided to be frank with this girl. He knew she could be bratty, if his memory didn't mistake him, but he couldn't possibly see what he could get from associating with this girl.

'Look,' Zane said. 'I don't know what your deal is with Rikki. But if she's not interested in getting back together with me, then there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not interested in spying on her. There are more important things to do. Like finding out more about this lost civilisation business.'

Kim frowned. 'But there are more _important_ things than lost civilisations! What about getting stronger powers? At the moment, Rikki and her friends all have stronger powers than ours.'

Zane looked at Kim, with slight interest.

'What's your power?'

'Fire, like Rikki's.'

Zane frowned. That indicated something, surely. Why did some people get some powers, and others completely different things? If anything, it seemed linked to their personality. The fiesty ones seemed to get fire powers. But what did Zane's ability to use all three powers say about himself? That he wasn't like Rikki at all? That he was unpredictable? There seemed to be some probablities about it. He didn't know the specifics, of course. Zane exhaled noisily.

'Okay. What is your _goal_ – your aim – your _motives_ for pursuing these other mermaids?' Zane asked. Kim put a finger on her chin in mock contemplation.

'I want to be the queen!'

'Yes...' Zane said, his jaw slack. 'Well, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but there is no queen. If Lewis is the king, then... Well, we're all his slaves. According to this mermaid mumbo jumbo.'

'Doesn't that just make you mad? Lewis is not a leader! Strong, independent men like you should be kings! And what about queens? I'm pretty sure -'

'Okay. The problem here,' Zane began. 'Is that we have _no_ control over this - and you seem to think we do. The full moon takes control of _everything_ if you have no way to avoid it. The thing that made us fish doesn't want to listen to your dumb girly princess fantasies.' Zane glared at Kim, feeling disgusted. 'Try growing up a little.'

The man got to his feet, and walked off. The stars started to glint above him, the sky getting darker and darker by the minute. Kim crossed her arms and rested on the beach. The night would reach her soon. She looked above her as the moon appeared from behind some clouds. It was very large and pretty that night, but it wasn't full. Kim put her head in her arms.


	17. Chapter 17: Midnight Stroll

Lewis was grateful to find that somebody had lit the library beforehand. Orbs of white light hovered below the ceiling every five meters. It was a little ominous, but he was happy that he was able to browse the library to his heart's consent, even after dark. He noticed a few strangers browsing the cooking section.

Maybe they're looking for recipes for cooking fish. Lewis wondered. All the boats in the dock were busted too, thanks to Rikki. Maybe people were furious. He kind of had the impression that people had accepted in the inevitability of it all, however. Some people might have already left town to try and get the electricity back.

Sort of an extreme way to reduce carbon emissions, Lewis mumbled to himself, his eyes darting from the spine of one book to the next. He pulled out a few mythology books and placed them on a nearby desk. When he sat and read, he had to take care not to press his hand against his black eye. Previously he had primarily used the internet as his main resource. But it was possible that there was something in one of these old crusty books that had something about mermaids. That, and his laptop was broken.

Thanks, Rikki. He thought.

He was disappointed in his search. He couldn't find anything. He put the books back and walked out of the library. There was nobody at the counter, yet the place wasn't trashed or damaged. Maybe being mermaids and merman gave people more respect for libraries? Lewis wondered. Then again, people might have been too distracted and entranced by their powers and newfound tails to care about books.

Lewis wandered over to the beach and sat down on the sand where he had seen Zane earlier. There was nobody else around that he could see. Just him and the ocean. The stars and moon glinted above his head like they were whispering secrets to each other. Lewis felt like he was being left out on something. He wondered about the drawings on the walls of Mako cave.

Maybe it all relied on a factor of time. Lewis thought. Maybe a certain amount of time had to pass with Cleo, Rikki, Emma, Kaihan, Chiyo, Asami, and Bella all being mermaids before he could be selected. Sort of like a primitive tribe looking for a new leader. They had all of the possible powers available. Maybe enough time had to pass in order for them to show their loyalty to being mermaids. And maybe their powers had to have been amplified before anything new could happen. Lewis nodded his head, running his fingers through the sand abstenmindedly. He looked back up at the moon. The moon was a way for keeping track of time. Maybe a certain number of full moons had to pass?

Lewis smiled faintly. Maybe it did rely on time. It was the only hypothesis he had devised so far that made any amount of sense, taking the ancient civilisation theory into account. But then, how did the hurricane come into it? He had to admit, the mermaids seemed highly against modern technology during the full moon, exemplified by Rikki destroying all communication and electrical devices and circuits. Lewis realized something. Maybe he didn't have any control over mermaids taking over the world, if that was going to happen. And really, could it be that bad?

He thought about the wars in the world. Countries and cities still had power over the world with modern weapons, what difference did it make if that power came from mermaids instead? Lewis frowned. He stared at the moon. He stared at the moon for so long that his eyes glazed over and his head drooped. He was starting to fall asleep. He laid back against the sand. It was warm and comfortable. He breathed in deeply. Minutes passed, and his consciousness drifted in and out of darkness.

Then, something strange happened, and Lewis was wide awake. He had grown a tail. Lewis sat up, feeling around him for any indication that it was cold or wet. But it wasn't. He gasped as he felt a sharp pain in his face. His jaw lengthened. His teeth became fangs, and his hands grew giant claws.

Lewis squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to feel the pain that came with the transformation. It was like his muscles and bone were being stretched by a giant hand but the nerves were still in tact. Oh, he felt it. When the transformation was complete, he could feel his hair down past his shoulder blades. He touched his hair with his long orange claws. What good was long hair? Maybe it was something mermaids worshipped more... or something.

When he tried to speak, a weird screeching noise came out. It echoed across the empty beach, making Lewis feel quite self conscious of his strange appearance.

He could only think of one thing to do. He dragged himself into the water, his tail leaving a mark behind him in the sand. He swam into the ocean. The claws were useless for swimming with, but like the fangs, he only assumed they were there to protect himself against underwater predators. What he didn't understand was why he had transformed when it wasn't a full moon. Furthermore, he hadn't completely lost consciousness.

Lewis realized something... _Bella_! He could tell Bella to go home! With glee, he swam as fast as he could over to the cave, although the visibility was low. He had a sense that told him where to go. There had been a path of green lights under the water to light the way from land to Mako Island, but he avoided it.

Asami soon approached him with red lights, no doubt guided there by Kaihan. Lewis waved, his orange claws and large fangs no doubt menacing. The structure of his face made it easier to swim through water, provided he kept his claws by his side. Asami's eyes widened at the sight of him, but no doubt she had been warned by Kaihan.

She guided him back to the cave. The red lights Asami made flickered off once Lewis passed them. He knew he looked strange, so they couldn't risk being followed for whatever reason. But he knew the way, why did Asami need to come out? This thought was cut short.

They reached the cave. Chiyo was waiting by the entrance, and she closed the path into the wall of rock as Lewis entered and swam up. He pulled himself onto the flat dry rock with his claws. They didn't seem able to break through the substance, which was promising. He heard a scream. When he glanced up, he noticed that his eyes were in a slightly different position on his head, so he had to turn his head slightly to get a good look at the person who screamed. It was Bella. Bella had lost a lot of weight since she had arrived, he noticed.

Kaihan, Chiyo, and Asami all stood at the back wall. Lewis lifted his body up and looked at Bella, who seemed close to tears.

'Go home.' he said. Although it didn't sound like English. It was the screeching chirp of a mutated dolphin. Am I a dolphin? Lewis wondered. A quick nod to the claws and fangs told him no.

Bella suddenly seemed hypnotised. Her body became still, and her eyelids drooped. She nodded at his command and walked past him, dipping into the water and swimming down without another word. Once she was gone, Chiyo letting her out from the back of the room, Lewis rolled onto his back, his long jaw opening and closing. Bella was on her way home. Everything was going to be okay, he thought. He breathed in deeply.

Asami and Chiyo approached Lewis, and then pushed him into the water, jumping back from the splash like he was a shark or crocodile waiting to attack. Lewis gasped and screeched noisily. If they understood him, which he knew they could based on the look in their eyes, then they would know that Lewis didn't want to hurt them.

Kaihan spoke to him telepathically.

'_You're scaring the girls. Go home now._'

'_How do I know when I'll change back?_' Lewis asked, in his head, to Kaihan.

'_You have control now. You will change back when you're ready. Go back to shore._'

Lewis glared at Kaihan from the water, realizing something. He felt a deep and sudden anger. An irrational indignation.

'I thought I was supposed to be the Master,' he growled. The strange screeching escaped his gaping dolphin mouth. He made swiping movements with his claws at the girls. 'When did you become the boss?'

Asami and Chiyo exchanged glances, and then looked at Kaihan. Kaihan nodded to both of them. The girls approached Lewis, and Chiyo formed a large rock club in her hand with a flick of her wrist. He couldn't see what was happening though, because Asami had produced a bright light in front of his face. It was so bright, that Lewis had to shut his eyes. He could hear their footsteps coming nearer. He was about to swim down to avoid them, when he felt something big and heavy hit him over the head.


	18. Chapter 18: Kaihan's Vision

When Cleo awoke the next morning, she saw Kim standing over her bed with a glass of water in her hand. Her cheeky grin did not comfort Cleo at all, nor did the false-cheerful voice.

'Good morning, Cleo!'

Cleo rubbed her eyes and sat up, but Kim held the glass of water close to her.

'I can just pull off the water with my powers if you're thinking what I think you are.' Cleo complained. Kim's smile vanished. She placed the glass of water on the side of the bench.

'Fine.'

Cleo didn't find out what Kim wanted, because she pushed past Kim and head downstairs into the kitchen.

'We're having fish for breakfast!' His father announced cheerfully, showing Cleo some freshly caught tuna with lemon slices on top, wrapped in aluminium foil. 'I got Kim to heat it up for me. She's really good for getting the oven started. We can save money on matches too.'

Cleo sat at the table, where a plate of cooked fish and greens were waiting for her. Fish, _again_?

'Dad, have you even been to work since this whole mess started? And what are people doing to get money in the first place?'

Don sat down at the table next to Sam who was busy serving herself salad.

'Cleo, as you know, all our boats are destroyed,' Don began. Cleo ate the cooked tuna slowly. Her dad continued. 'A few of the guys and me carry some nets between us under the water as... as mermen... to catch some fish. It's fairly straightforward. It is hard work carrying them back though, but...' He patted his belly. 'I figured it couldn't do any harm.'

Cleo nodded slowly. The information sinking in: the fishermen were doing the fishing manually. 'Okay, well... What about you, Sam? It must be hard doing research when all the equipment can't work.'

Sam nodded slowly. 'It's been hard, yes. But... A few of the guys at work are able to move water, like you, and we've managed to set up a minor electrical supply with some turbines.' Cleo's eyes widened. 'It's not perfect because the current is too weak to power any of the really powerful stuff, and apparently using magic water powers for such a long time is very energy consuming, so it's quite difficult to do much work done. Still, we've managed to set up a few of these turbines around town. They can power minor electronics, but nothing big. We'd need a much larger turbines to do that.'

Cleo frowned. 'I didn't think turbines were your area,' she commented, nearly finishing her fish. She hadn't realized how hungry she was.

'Well, it's not,' Sam laughed. 'But we had no choice. The library still works, and all the parts were available at the shops. It's only a matter of time until it all goes missing, though... A few guys managed to hitch a ride with some of the food suppliers, so they've gone out of town to get help... Like an electrician … or a few thousand, more like.'

Cleo nodded slowly. Then, Kim came running downstairs. Don perked up.

'Thanks for helping with the fish, darling!'

Kim smiled with almost a mock cheerfulness. 'No problem, Dad!'

'Oh yeah...' Cleo remembered something she wanted to ask, at the though of powers: she still didn't know what Dad or Sam's power was. 'What are your powers?'

Don and Sam perked up.

'Oh, those things,' Don said, looking a little bashful. 'Okay, well...' His cheeks went pink. 'Turning water to goo or a glass-type substance. It's not useful for much around the house, except slowing down fish to catch them in the water, of course.'

Cleo nodded, thoughtfully. So the goo could be used as a fishing tool...

She looked at Sam. Sam smiled.

'Well, Cleo... I move rock... So... Our uses in the house are fairly limited.'

Cleo nodded some more, but then Sam spoke up.

'You'd be surprised, actually,' Sam began. 'I was doing some experimenting in the lab, and with enough concentration, I can make precise things like nails. You see... Rock is made up of a lot of different layers, and is composed of lots of different types of sediment. With the right amount of concentration, you can move, and even change the composition of some of the more common rocks and metals, even change the way they're layered in the rock.'

Cleo beamed, looking impressed. 'That's incredible! That definitely sounds like more your line of work. And just think of the implications!'

Sam nodded, smiling. Cleo thought some more: so the rock powers are more specific than just plain rock; it's for lots of different types of rock-type materials.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Cleo went to answer it, and saw Emma and Rikki standing in the doorway. Their foreheads were creased.

'What's wrong?' Cleo asked.

Emma glanced at Rikki.

Rikki spoke up.

'Lewis didn't go home last night. And he's not in the library. The girls in the cave – those asian chicks – said they haven't seen anything.'

'What?!' Cleo demanded. 'What about Mako? Have you looked there?'

'He's nowhere to be seen.' Emma said, defeated. 'No one has seen anything.'

Suddenly, a voicee perked up from behind Cleo.

'What's that about Lewis?'

Kim's head appeared in the doorway next to Cleo. Cleo groaned.

'Go away, Kim!'

'Is this about Lewis? Is he missing?'

'Yes, he has...' Emma said. 'Do you know anything about it?'

'I saw him last night.' Kim said. 'I followed him into the water. He had turned into that mutant dolphin thing again. And it wasn't even a full moon!'

'What?' Rikki demanded. Kim beamed at Rikki.

When Kim had finished explaining, Cleo gaped.

'You mean that Chiyo person... locked him away!? How is that fair?'

'Maybe he started to act strangely,' Emma mumbled. 'I mean, we know nothing about this other form, maybe it did things to his head instead of just his body.'

'That's possible, I guess,' Cleo said.

They were all standing in the driveway.

'We're going to need help to get him out. Maybe he would have changed back?' Cleo asked. And she remembered... _Sam_!

Soon, Kim, Cleo, Emma, Rikki, and Sam were swimming toward the underwater cave where the girls were staying. They figured they might confront the others for directions first, especially if Lewis had been hidden somewhere far away.

The water was cool, and faint green orbs had been placed between land and Mako Island, to light the way. It was unnecessary in the daytime, though. Their long powerful tails propelled them through the water with ease. Even Sam, who had little swimming experience, picked up the skill exceptionally fast. There was nothing unusual about that, however.

They soon arrived at the now-flat wall of rock. Sam raised her hand, and gave her hand a sharp twist. A hole appeared at the bottom of the wall; the entrance to a cave. Chiyo was floating behind it, and swam out to meet them, as if she had been waiting for them. The mermaid put her hand on Cleo's shoulder in sympathy, and then the group swam into the cave.

When they surfaced, neither Lewis or Bella were anywhere to be seen in the cave. According to Kim, Bella had swam away the previous night. Maybe she was finally on her way back to America.

They were all dried by Rikki, lying on the rock with tails like sunbathers face-down before they got to their feet. The cave had been expanded previously, and this was very useful for the group. Kaihan and Asami were sitting at the back of the room on mattresses. Cleo approached Kaihan, knowing to tread carefully.

'Look... Kaihan. We know that you three took Lewis and hid him away somewhere. All we want to know is why – why did you do this? Lewis is our friend, and _my_ boyfriend! Don't we have any say in this at all?'

Kaihan frowned, and shook her head.

'More cave drawings, right?' Rikki butted in. 'Why can't you have _normal_ control over your powers? Why does the full moon have to be the only one with a say in this? It's YOUR power!'

Kaihan shook her head. 'I had a vision this time.'

A silence reverberated around the room. Cleo and the others had explained Kaihan's powers to Kim and Sam before they left.

'Not a cave drawing?' Rikki asked.

Kaihan shook her head, stepping off the mattress and walking toward the girls. She was wearing some new clothes for once; a pink T-shirt and jeans. The old poorly fitting school clothes lay in a pile next to her bed. Kaihan made a motion to touch Rikki's hand, but Rikki pushed her hand away.

'If you have something to say,' Rikki began. 'Just say it.'

'I think it'd be easier if I showed all of you.' Kaihan said. And then, every single girl and woman in the room was overwhelmed by a vision; a blur of colour and sound, whirling in front of them. In the vision, they saw a creature. It was covered in orange scales, and had a long snout. It had large orange claws and a long orange tail. It was as if the scales from the tail had spread to the rest of the creature's body. Some scales had darkened, however, like at the limbs. The claws weren't even their normal colour; they were deep red. And there were no longer one pair of arms, but legs had sprouted just below the start of the tail. It was a four legged creature, now. A four-legged monster, more like. The creature was standing over Mako Island... It was huge and menacing; the size of Godzilla. Behind the creature, a large full moon could be seen. The creature screeched and dove into the water, a huge wave approaching land as it did so. The vision ended with water hitting land, pulling several people into the water as it did so.

There was no doubt in anybody's minds that the vision had been real. There was an authenticity to it that was hard to rationalize.

Kim's eyes were large, and she approached Rikki and shook her arm. Rikki pushed her off of her.

'We have to stop him! With fire! The heat will stop him, won't it?'

'None of our powers will have any effect on him.' Kaihan said. 'Not even rock.'

'But that's the last full moon Lewis is even going to be here for!' Cleo stammered. 'He has to return to the US the day after that. What's going to happen? Will he be back to normal? And why do you have to keep him locked up if this future is inevitable? I want Lewis back with us before then!'

Sam finally spoke.

'I agree with Cleo. If this is what's going to happen, I don't think keeping Lewis locked up is going to help much.'

'He started to get aggressive,' Asami argued, speaking up. Chiyo appeared by her side and nodded. 'The creature's body is starting to take its hold on him. We don't even entirely understand why it appeared in the first place. But... We don't want him to do anything rash.'

Cleo took a deep breath, and sighed. '_Okay_. Maybe he will go back to normal if he sees me. If I talk to him. Maybe I could reach him.'

Chiyo nodded.

'I'll bring him here. If he doesn't change back, I'm locking him away. We will need to prepare everyone for the next full moon, we need to teach everyone how to use their powers properly...' Chiyo said. 'I have a bad feeling about this...'

Sam nodded, perking up. 'That's right, I could teach you about the rock power.'

Chiyo looked confused. Cleo spun around. She watched Kim approach Rikki with a broad grin on her face.

'All right! You can finally teach me the ways of the fire power!' Kim exclaimed happily to Rikki. Rikki rolled her eyes and groaned.

'Whatever. I guess it's inevitable.'

Emma turned to the other girls, resting on Kaihan. 'I think you guys will need to return to land. And Kaihan, if you show the vision to people, maybe they'd understand better... I think it's time you show the world who you are. I'm sure they'll forget about your past, especially with all this mayhem going on. A little extra weirdness wouldn't matter much.'

Kaihan nodded. 'I'm ready.'

Cleo nodded, with finality. 'All right. Now that that's sorted...'

She turned to Chiyo. Although Chiyo was much shorter than she was, she couldn't help but feel like Chiyo was the stronger one in this situation. What could she do, after all?

'Let's get Lewis.'

Chiyo held out her hand, and turned her wrist. With a sharp pulling motion of Chiyo's palm, a creature fell through the rock at their side, as if the rock was jelly. It was Lewis with the mutant head, claws, and fangs. His long hair fell across his face. The creature screeched and wailed, and struggled to hold itself up. Cleo slowly approached the creature, realising from the look in Lewis's eye, that Lewis was somewhere lost, deep inside. Its eyes were a worrying black colour, and its iris, was a bright yellow. Cleo held out her hand.

It would take a lot of effort to bring him back out.

* * *

_A/N: Ahhh! What do you think?_


	19. Chapter 19: Zane

Cleo's eyes suddenly widened.

'Wait, he can tell us to do things, right?'

Emma was quick. She held out her hand toward the creature writhing on the floor of the cave. Its jaw was frozen shut.

Rikki grinned. 'Cold got your tongue?'

Sam and Chiyo held out their hands, forming a clenched fist. As they did so, a bubble of rock surrounded Lewis's limbs and tail so they were embedded in stone.

'Phew,' Cleo said. 'That was close.'

The strange creature looked up at Cleo with wide eyes. Cleo looked back. It almost seemed like Lewis, but then again, but she couldn't be sure. She approached Lewis and sat in front of him. He couldn't hurt her, his claws and fangs were immobile. He couldn't move. What he _could_ do was listen.

'Lewis...' Cleo said, uncertainly. 'Try and focus on me for a moment. Imagine we're in Rikki's cafe together drinking a smoothie or eating some toast for breakfast.'

There was silence throughout the cave. Even Kim was silent, a first. Maybe her mermaid instincts kept her quiet. That would certainly become useful in future...

Cleo lifted her hand, and pressed her palm against Lewis's mutant jaw. The skin was smooth... It was almost human. There was a distinct toughness to it, like leather. You couldn't tell by looking though. Cleo stroked the creature's cheek, trying to get through to Lewis.

I have to remind him of land and his friends... She told herself. Not the ocean. He needs to focus.

'Lewis, you'll come back to my place won't you? We could drink hot chocolate and talk about what you found in the library, if anything. We could play checkers, or chess or something. We could go fishing, with your rod and bait. Just remember, _Lewis_!'

Cleo didn't expect there to be a change so quickly. The creature was still, and rested its body against the floor, apparently exhausted. Its arms were at strange angles. Cleo looked into the creature's yellow eyes – no – into Lewis's eyes. They changed from yellow to blue when he blinked. His eyes were wide. A human growl seemed to come from his throat; whether it was at the ice stopping him speaking or because he was genuinely mad at Cleo, she couldn't be sure.

Then... Lewis's face turned back to normal. His nose flattened, his teeth became smaller and his tail disappeared. Where there was previously a monster, there was a man trapped in rock on the cave floor before them, with bags under his eyes and a black eye. There was a small cracking noise as the ice broke. Lewis's jaw changing shape had broken it outright.

Lewis sighed and shut his eyes for a moment, Cleo's hand still on his face. His long hair returned to normal length. Sam and Chiyo removed the binds around his lower legs and his hands. He flopped flat onto the ground, his arms following him, and groaned loudly.

'Lewis...' Cleo mumbled. 'Are you okay?'

'Food,' Lewis moaned. 'Sleep.'

He fell unconscious. He couldn't be roused. Cleo turned to all her friends (and Kim).

'Let's get Lewis some fish!'

It took an hour until Lewis was able to swim back to shore with Cleo and the others. The others included Chiyo, Kaihan, and Asami this time. They were needed on shore to help train others with their powers. Kim was more than happy to train with Rikki, although Rikki admitted that she would not just be training her. It would be done in a group.

'It's the only way to do this quickly. We have no idea how long this will take. It could take weeks – and weeks are all we have,' Rikki explained. Kim pouted and crossed her arms. Rikki wondered, for a moment if Zane would come. But... Judging from his control over his powers the other day, he probably didn't need help.

Training started that evening. Cleo brought Lewis home to rest in her bed while Kaihan attracted the attention of everyone in town by drawing them to the beach with her mind. She showed each person the vision, one by one, and then instruction people to come to the beach for an announcement. People came quickly, asking questions among themselves.

Kaihan, Chiyo, and Asami introduced themselves, standing on the tall rock somebody had erected several days ago. The three asian girls told their backstory; how they ran away from land to Mako to avoid being sent back to their home countries after their visas expired, and then they finally talked about Kaihan's powers. They talked about Lewis and what would happen at the next full moon, and how it was inevitable that it was going to happen. After answering a few questions, they divided the town into groups based on their powers. They would each be instructed on a power. Asami took those who could create light, for instance. Rikki took those with the heating power.

Bella wasn't around, so Emma took those with the glass power. It was similar, she wagered, turning things to ice and turning things to glass. She had heard a little from the others how to do it, anyway. Besides, her knowledge of chemistry might help people get a greater understanding of the power and how it worked if what she had heard from Sam about the rock power was true.

Rikki went to Mako Castle and got everybody to clean up the mess there. She then brought them down to the beach at Mako and got people to work on boiling water in the rock pools there.

Cleo, once certain that Lewis was okay, took those with the water powers while Lewis slept upstairs. She taught them downstairs in her home. There were a lot of people, but she instructed the people she taught that day to go and teach others who didn't know. Their goal was to use their powers for defense, not for attacking. Lewis, when he became that huge monster, couldn't be stopped. It would be foolish to try. What they needed to focus on was keeping themselves and the town safe. If possible, some people would have to follow Lewis and make sure he didn't hurt anybody else. They had to keep people safe.

* * *

Kaihan was left alone on the beach. She had no one to teach, as she was the only one with the power to read minds. Just like how Lewis was the only one who had the power to erase memories and influence people. Kaihan sat on the beach, watching Emma practice with her group down the end of the beach. She pushed her long hair back behind an ear. The blonde streaks shimmered in the wind. She was finally back on land. People didn't seem to care that she was back after all this time. They had other things to worry about. Besides, she could take care of herself. The sand was only a small comfort, but the air breeze was mildly pleasant.

Kaihan frowned, and drew a circle in the sand. Suddenly, somebody approached her. She heard footsteps, and saw shiny black boots reach her. She looked up.

The man standing before her was tall and wore a nice suit. His hair had been combed to neatness.

'You must be Zane,' she said.

'Yes...' Zane said. And he kneeled down to talk with the Chinese girl. 'I have something I need to ask you...'

'You want to know why you're the only one with the ice-fire-water combination power,' Kaihan finished his sentence for him. Zane frowned.

'That's a little annoying, you know. You being able to read my mind is creepy enough without you making it obvious.'

'Sorry,' Kaihan said, her accent shining through. A wave tumbled behind her and nearly reached the hem of her jeans. She got to her feet and walked up the beach toward Rikki's cafe. It was deserted. She walked in, noticing its cleanness. A few orbs hovered above them. Zane followed her in and sat down at a table.

Kaihan was staring at the table. She focused her mind on herself. She didn't need to read anybody's mind right now. Zane started to speak to her.

'I want you to tell me why I'm the only one with this power. And why Lewis has a different power, and why you have a different power to everybody else. Tell me, are we a part of something more important than the others? Do we have a secret role that we're not aware of yet? If so, I want to know what it is. I want to know what my purpose is in all this.'

Kaihan's deep brown eyes gazed into Zane's. His eyes were penetrating.

'I can't tell you why, but I can tell you that there is something special about us,' Kaihan said, her voice remarkably monotone. 'I am the only one who has telepathy and precognition. Lewis is the only one with the power to control women, mermaids, and erase the minds of anyone he wants. And you're the only one who now has the blended power. There was somebody else who had it before, but she lost her power several years ago.'

'Charlotte, right?' Zane said. 'I remember Rikki telling me about her. She doesn't live in town anymore, does she?'

'No,' Kaihan said. 'Charlotte is long gone. If she was ever able to become a mermaid again, though, she would get a different power.'

Zane furrowed his eyebrows. 'I get the feeling that you know more about the moon pool and mermaid powers than anyone else. Where do you pick this stuff up?'

Kaihan's face was long, but she tapped her temple. 'Impressions I get from dreams and the like. I know they're real.'

'Why haven't you told anybody else?' Zane asked. 'They've wondered about it, surely.'

'I don't think they need to know... They have enough to worry about right now. Besides... I think they'd be able to guess it.'

'Okay...' Zane said. 'So, tell me, what is it about Charlotte that got her that power, and what is it about me that got me hers? Are you saying I stole it from her? Like there's some kind of database in the moon pool?'

'Not quite,' Kaihan mumbled. Zane had to lean closer across the wooden table to hear her. The place was still deserted and it was deadly quiet, but she was very good at stringing words together in a way that didn't make audible sense. 'She had her power and then she lost it for good because of the planetary alignments that night. I remember sensing her when she was around. I avoided her. You and Charlotte are both... mischievious. It's not like the fire power, but it has the potential to be bad, and do quite bad things. You and Charlotte are also very determined, but also do not have a great sense of morality.'

Zane laughed. Kaihan ignored him and continued.

'The moon pool chooses powers on the basis of several things: personalities, and on a statistical pool.'

Zane nodded, listening intently.

'The ice, fire, and water powers each have a 22% chance of appearing in a given mermaid population. Glass, rock, and light powers have a 11% chance each. That equals 99%. The last 1% makes up Lewis, me, and you. There can only be one of us each in any given mermaid or merman population. This last rule doesn't quite obey the rules of satistics, but it's more a separate rule to the main one; an exception, almost. It has its own rule.'

It was getting dark outside. The sky was bright pink and orange but now it was fading. The orbs above Zane and Kaihan's heads were becoming more prominent, and their individual lights: red and yellow, were becoming more pronounced. Kaihan held her hands in her lap. Zane sat back in his chair, considering the information.

'You were able to calculate this?'

'Based on our current mermaid population, yes,' Kaihan nodded. 'I wanted to see if there was a pattern... and there is. I can sense it in people.'

'But... That still doesn't tell us what we're here for. Are we... the two of us... going to turn into monsters like Lewis at some point? And why Lewis, anyway? Why does he look like that … weird thing?'

Kaihan frowned, shaking her head.

'I'm not a hundred per cent sure.'

Zane nodded, examining Kaihan intently. He seemed willing to change the topic for now.

'I was sorry to hear about how you ran away from home. Do you think you'll ever go back to Singapore?'

Kaihan shrugged. 'I don't know. It depends what happens next full moon.'

'That's true,' Zane mumbled. And then he grabbed Kaihan's hand that was resting on her lap. He gave her hand a squeeze. 'Look... Uh... Kaihan... This might sound strange... but would you like to stay at my place tonight? I know you don't have anywhere to go. Besides, I can keep you safe with my powers.'

Kaihan smiled broadly, showing off her slightly crooked teeth. The smile didn't quite reach her eyes, however.

'You're being nice to me because I have interesting powers,' Kaihan said, and then she went silent quite quickly. 'Sorry. I didn't mean to.'

Zane nodded, then got to his feet, pulling up Kaihan as he did so.

'I feel like I have to protect you. Who knows what those creeps out there would do to you.'

'They're scared of me. They don't care.'

Zane grabbed Kaihan's hand and dragged her out of Rikki's. It had been left open for people to make food, but other than that... it was in perfectly good condition. Zane turned toward the beach and the ocean waves.

'My place is off the shore, a little way up. You can follow me if you like.'

Stars were starting to speck the sky. The sunset was nearly gone. Kaihan smiled at Zane.

'I will. Thanks for taking care of me...'

'Uh... Kaihan. Can I ask something?'

'What is it?'

'What is it about your personality that got you the psychic like power? And what is it about Lewis that got him that weird shape and power? There has to be more to it than mere chance and probability.'

Kaihan's feet touched the water, and her tail appeared. Jeans and pink shirt vanished to reveal the orange scaley bikini top and long thick tail. She flopped into the water with a splash, and began dragging herself out. She turned and looked at Zane who was still standing on the shore in his black suit.

'I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you.'

'Try me,' Zane replied.

Kaihan forced a smile, a small wave tumbling over her hands digging into the wet sand.

'I have... I feel depressed a lot - and I have for a long time.' She paused, staring at Zane to gouge his reaction. There was no change in his facial expression. She continued. 'For not a very good reason, either. I feel a deep apathy toward the world and its events and people. I have trouble feeling emotions at times; in fact, most of the time I feel extremely listless.' She took a deep breath and sighed. 'I think the moon pool wanted somebody detached from the world to have the power of precognition. What good is having precognition and telepathy if you're not able to handle it?' Kaihan explained. She pulled herself further into the water until only her head was poking out. The water guzzled over her hair and shoulders. 'It's not entirely my fault I have this problem, but at the same time, I don't really care. I don't really care about anything in the world. If I didn't have a role to play in this mermaid world, I probably wouldn't be here. The obligation keeps me sane.'

Zane was silent. His mouth was a thin line. He pushed his hand across his hair, and then approached the water. The water seeped into his shoes and socks, and his tail appeared beneath him. He had kept walking once the water hit him, however, so when he landed he was right next to Kaihan. Zane peered at Kaihan's face closely, as if he wasn't sure if she was there. A wave hit them in the face, and Zane got a good taste of cool salty water.

'And what about Lewis?'

Kaihan smiled, but the smile, as it always did, never reached her eyes. Her eyes were always empty. At first Zane had thought it was because she had telepathy, but now he realized, it was the other way around. It was because of _her_; the telepathy only came to her because she was like that. It was a strange thing to consider... but it made sense. As Kaihan had said: _What good is having precognition and telepathy if you're not able to handle it?_

'Lewis is... the first merman. But he was chosen by the 1% chance. I was among the first mermaids too, so perhaps it chooses the first it can get, so to speak... But Lewis... Is an extremely rational person. We're all guilty of being irrational at times, but Lewis tries to control that. It's that self control and interest in order and sense, or science, that probably got him chosen to be the monster - that, and being the first merman of course. You can't be a monster if you're not able to control it, I mean... although it seems that the monster controls _him_ sometimes. It's hard to say why exactly he was chosen. Perhaps it is a natural thing to happen; maybe he was too reasonable?'

Zane nodded, thinking hard. But he wasn't willing to wait in this water forever. He and Kaihan pushed their way through the waves until it was finally deep enough to dive underneath. Their tails vanished under the foamy waves. It was good to finally leave the restless waves above and engulf themselves in the peace and quiet of the ocean...


	20. Chapter 20: Soldiers and Seclusion

Lewis woke the next morning in Cleo's bed, with Cleo by his side. The sight of pink bed-sheets did little to ease his aching body.

'Ugh,' he groaned.

He rubbed his eyes with his fists.

'I feel like I was run over by a steamroller,' Lewis said.

Cleo wrapped her arms around him, giving him a squeeze. She started to apply ointment to his eye.

'The mark is going down. Nate was a bit of a jerk, huh?'

'Yeah, I guess,' Lewis smiled. He suddenly grabbed his head, his eyes shut tight. 'Do you have any water?'

Cleo grabbed the glass Kim had left at the bedside table and helped Lewis drink it. He sat up and drank the whole glass in one sitting. Some dripped down his white shirt. Ten seconds later, he transformed into a merman, but he didn't seem very bothered by it. He put the glass back on the bedside table.

'Freedom,' he sighed, resting his head back against a propped up pillow. He peeked an eye open and gave Cleo a peck on the cheek. 'Thanks for taking care of me. I completely lost it last night - er... The night before. I don't remember. I don't even remember what made it happen... But I was staring at the moon and...'

Lewis frowned, then. 'I wonder if it was because I was staring at the moon. Maybe if I stare at it long enough, enough moon rays hit me that it makes up for the lack of full moon.' Lewis pondered out loud, but he soon went silent. 'Either way... Judging from that weird vision Kaihan had... I should be more careful around the moon. I could wear... sunglasses at nightime.'

Cleo nodded. 'Yeah. Though, I think it's best I stick around you a little more.'

Lewis cleaned the water off his chest with the blanket and he turned back to normal. Clothes from yesterday and all. They embraced, and spent a few hours together in bed.

Later, they helped out with the training going on around town. To their surprise, the town was being extremely civilised about the mermaids and their powers, including the upcoming full moon. Like soldiers to arms, they were working hard and were completely focused on their goal: being prepared for the next full moon. They tried to have practice sessions indoors unless there were new people around, but they hadn't encountered any new people so far that they knew of. Things were going very well. Chiyo had taken up board with Rikki, who seemed to have warmed up to her. Asami was spending time at Emma's house, partly to help Elliot get the hang of his light power, but also to sleep on the floor near Emma's bed.

Bella was assumed to have gotten home safely. Although they couldn't be sure; they couldn't get in contact with Will with the electricity (still) down.

* * *

Kaihan contacted Cleo and Lewis by telepathy that evening, saying that she had found a place to stay and she was okay. She told them she thought it was best she stayed out of the way unless people came looking for her. They didn't know that Zane had been keeping Kaihan under his wing, however. Zane's father had bought him a very nice house in the suburbs to work from. It was a few grassy slopes away from the beach on the outskirts of town. It was also near the end of the "mermaid border".

Weeks past, until it was the day of the full moon. Life for Kaihan up to that point had been relatively mundane.

Kaihan lay on the grass of Zane's back lawn, shielding her eyes from the bright sun above. Zane sat down next to her, offering her a strawberry smoothie that he had made in the house. He wasn't a fan of tofu, but had bought some for Kaihan to have in drinks. Her body had adjusted new food after a few days, so by now she was perfectly happy to accept whatever Zane delivered or cooked for her.

Zane was wearing a red t-shirt and long jeans. His use for the business suit was limited when he didn't have work to do.

'I'm thinking of ordering some pizza later,' Zane commented. 'Do you want some?'

Kaihan moved her arm away, her face being blasted by sun.

'Sure. Get tandoori chicken pizza. It's the best kind.'

'All righty,' Zane said.

There was a place several hundred meters away north that had nice restaurants and cafes, but they didn't have any electricians so their ability to help the adjacent town was limited. They have apparently called out of town for help, but there were limited resources for fixing an entire town, not without contacting the rest of the country. It seemed easier for people to move into another town, temporarily, but they were starting to adjust to life without electricity. Once upon a time they would have cared about the internet. But now they were able to swim their time away, it wasn't as big a deal.

'A pity none of them at the next town are mermen or mermaids though. It would make things a lot easier, don't you think?' Zane said. 'We wouldn't have to be so careful.'

He pulled Kaihan to her feet. She was wearing a white summer dress that Zane had bought for her. He was being exceptionally nice to Kaihan, and often made bicycle trips out of town to get nice food and groceries. He kept things cool in his fridge with ice packs. He froze them every few hours so the food inside wouldn't spoil. He only assumed people back in town had been doing the same.

Kaihan would have been surprised by Zane's niceness, but she knew Zane had a tendency to flatter and be kind to people he really liked – or wanted to get something from. At this point, Kaihan wasn't sure which it was. She wagered the latter.

Zane wasn't back with the pizza for several hours. When he came back, it was midday. Kaihan was resting in the sun, having an afternoon nap. He put the pizza box between them, and nudged her awake. He then looked out to Mako Island, a small black speck in the distance on the ocean horizon. The pizza was delicious, but the sight of Mako was not so much. From here, you couldn't tell there was a huge glass castle towering over it.

The smell of spices coming off the pizza were mouth-watering. They didn't hesitate to eat up.

'Do you know what the purpose of the castle is?' Zane said suddenly, taking a huge bite of pizza. 'If there is a lost civilisation in Mako and it's coming out through us, did they have sort of superiority complex?'

'I have no doubt of that,' Kaihan said, getting tomato sauce on her upper lip. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, finishing her piece of pizza. 'This civilisation was intelligent. They might not have looked human; but they had a rigorous social structure that worked best when everyone did their part. They were highly community focused. I believe the mermaids and mermen with my power, your power, and Lewis's power stayed in the castle because they were the most important and needed protecting.'

Zane felt the cool breeze on his face, and he took a sip of some coca cola he bought at the store.

'How can a civilisation be trapped in Mako Island, is my question,' Zane said, casually observing the ocean waves. 'If the mermaid powers and such come from crystals from the moon, or whatever, how can information that precise come from a crystal, unless there's something channeling information through it?'

Zane perked up, realising that this might be possible. There may be some weird quality to the crystal. There'd had to be for it to exert mermaid powers on everyone.

'Do these creatures still exist somewhere?'

Kaihan listened within, and tried to reach out to Mako from the grassy lawn with her power. But it was too far to reach. She remembered a dream she had had awhile ago, and tried to make conscious sense of it.

'I'm not sure if they need to. If something like precognition is possible, who's to say the power from Mako Island is temporally bound? It could be linked over time... to that other place.'

Zane eased a string of cheese into his mouth. They ate in silence for a few minutes.

'Okay... No offense, but this is starting to give me a headache. Let's leave it at that for today.'

Kaihan nodded. Half the pizza was already gone. She sighed and looked at her arms and legs. They were still pale. She thought she would have burnt or at least tanned by now, but nothing was happening.

'When does the full moon rise tonight?' Kaihan asked, breaking the silence. She had lost track of time since being at Zane's. She had lost track of time eating nice food, and wearing nice clothes, and swimming in the secluded part of the beach where nobody went to. She had rolled around in her fluffy comfortable bed in the guest room, and Zane sometimes asked her questions about Mako Island and mermaid powers. The time of day was not entirely intuitive, nor was the rising of the moon. Even for someone with precognition.

Zane stared at Kaihan.

'It's at 8:48pm tonight,' Zane explained. 'I think we should stay out here, though. It's too dangerous to go back where the others are.'

Kaihan frowned, and drunk some of Zane's soft drink.

'But they might need me.'

Zane shook his head. 'We need you to stay safe. If Lewis gets a hold of you during the full moon, who knows what might happen to you? You might communicate with everybody telepathically or use mind control or go crazy or something.'

Kaihan nodded, and looked out to Mako Island. The plan was to stay indoors for the full moon. No looking at the moonlight at all.

'Sometimes I think it'd be best if the whole world were mermaids and merman,' Zane said, in a daze. He closed the box on the pizza and lay back down on the grass. 'Wake me up in a few hours, will you? We need to be alert for when the full moon finally rises.'

* * *

_A/N: I had written this chapter, and the next one several weeks ago. However, I have been a little busy. That said, I also left it so I could make any edits later... in case there were some oddly worded things I wouldn't have noticed earlier._


	21. Chapter 21: Metamorphosis

Lewis sat on his basement couch, his eyes closed, breathing deeply. Cleo handed him a glass of water, and a couple of pills. Emma and Rikki stood next to Cleo.

This evening, every single member of the town was waiting inside. People weren't willing to take the risk of being moonstruck, even though they hadn't experienced the phenomenon before. They had seen what could happen if they were though; the last full moon was evidence enough for that. They felt it in their bones: something bad was going to happen if they got moonstruck. The vision Kaihan had showed them was extremely convincing. People kept a safe five meters away from Lewis, however, worried that he was going to transform or pounce at any moment. Lewis didn't blame them... The moon was going to rise eventually.

Lewis had helped his family board up the windows of their house. It was a relief to Lewis, Emma, Cleo, and Rikki that they could explore the rest of the house during the full moon and not be afraid of his family finding out their secrets anymore. Cleo and Emma's family had been invited over to Lewis's place and were huddled in the dining room. If you're going to be trapped inside during a full moon, at least do it with good company, right?

The door to the basement had been locked. The group (Emma, Cleo, Rikki, and Lewis) needed some privacy from their families. They crowded around Lewis who was sitting on the couch, holding a glass and some small pills.

'Go on,' Emma urged Lewis. Lewis looked down at the little white pills in the palm of his hand in uncertainty.

'Are you sure this will help me relax?'

'It's Valium. It works for me all the time,' Emma said. 'If you do get moon struck, it might make you slower.'

'Then again,' Rikki continued. 'If you have enough motivation you could completely override its effects... And how would it effect a merman monster body, anyhow? Do you know, Emma?'

Before the girls could argue, Lewis threw the pills into his mouth. He swallowed them with the glass of water. He looked at his watch, fidgeting on his seat.

'A few minutes,' Lewis said. He rubbed his hands together. He would be lying if he said he felt fine. The moon would hit him, regardless of whether he was inside or not. Why that was, he didn't completely understand. He wagered he was more sensitive to the magnetic fields from the moon, or something.

'Okay,' Rikki said, pointing upstairs. 'Time to get ready to kick you out and freeze your mouth shut.'

Lewis was too nervous for jokes.

'This could be the end of the world,' Lewis stammered, looking at his hands, expecting them to grow large and scaly. 'And what if I'm the one who caused it?'

'It can't be that bad... Maybe you just wanted to go swimming,' Cleo ventured. But it was a lost hope. They all knew Lewis was about to turn into this huge, frightening sea monster.

When the full moon had risen, based on Lewis's calculation based on the library books he borrowed, Lewis transformed as predicted. He was standing next to his family's front door when it happened, ready to be kicked out by his friends. He wondered why they didn't just kick him out in the first place, but perhaps they wanted his company.

Kim, Don, Sam, Emma's family and Lewis's parents watched with wide eyes, and Kim even screamed when it the transformation started. When Lewis began to change...

It happened quickly. Lewis hunched over and fell to the floor as his tail appeared, and his clothes vanished into ether. His nails grew into large orange claws and they made marks in the wooden floor with a sound like nails on a chalkboard. His jaw lengthened and his eyes started to move to the side of his head like a chameleon. His blonde hair, once short, grew past his waist and onto the floor in great waves. Once his mouth had fully stabilized with a reptilian jaw and his teeth were completely visible and sharp, Emma froze his mouth shut with a quick movement of her hand.

Lewis tried to drag himself across the floor with his claws, but Cleo held out her hand and forced the front door open with her wind power. The whooshing and howling from the wind was deafening.

'Close your eyes, everybody!' Cleo cried, as the door flew open with the gale.

Lewis tried to grab onto the wood with his claws, but Rikki ran forward and kicked him the face. The reptilic mouth was cut, and the creature was startled. Its long floppy orange tail followed the long haired reptile thing outside the door.

'Sorry, Lewis!'

The fish-reptile creature went flying out the front door, and then the door shut tight behind him, before they could see him land. Cleo ran forward and bolted the door, pressing her back against it. The orbs above their heads, white and blue, glinted, held up by Asami and Elliot.

'How are we supposed to keep track of what he's doing?' Don asked, suddenly, rushing to the door and pulling Cleo away from it.

Kim was stunned. She stood near the kitchen, her eyes wide. 'That looked so freaky. You saw his eyes right? They completely changed colour!'

There was a huge bang on the door. It made everyone jump. Emma and her mother froze the door shut with their power, making sure it was completely covered with ice crystals. After a few more muffled bangs, however, the noise didn't come again. There was complete silence. Emma stepped away from the door with light steps.

'What could he possibly want with you girls?' Emma's father asked. 'He could go after anyone.'

'Maybe that's where he's gone now,' Emma replied. 'After other people. But we can't go look. We're just going to have to have faith in the others. We did train them well enough.'

Rikki stepped away from the front door and exhaled loudly.

'Who wants cake? I know I do!'

Cake was the last things on their minds, but they tried to make a party out of the situation. Everybody had brought large mounds of food to the kitchen for the evening, including a large ham they had taken from the shops and had cooked with Rikki's power. Amongst the silent munching of ham, salad, and cake, they exchanged glances and listened outside. It seemed to be silent outside, but the silence was eerie.

Ten minutes later, a deafening roar could be heard from outside the house. It was the sound that huge monster made on top of Mako Island in Kaihan's vision. Like the sound of Godzilla. Cleo dropped her piece of chocolate marble cake in fright, and it crumbled on her plate. Everybody rushed to put down their plates, cutlery clashing noisily.

'Someone decided to bring Jurassic Park to town early,' Rikki commented, trying to sound brave.

'What's happening?' Kim demanded, shrinking against the wall. 'He's not going to come eat us, is he?'

'Chill out,' Rikki said. But even Rikki stood back against a wall, away from the front door. Cleo and Emma stood next to her. All the parents stood against the adjacent walls.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. The ceiling over the kitchen collapsed. Dust and brick tumbled to the floor. A large red claw descended into the hole that had been made in the ceiling. Kim screamed and ran away to some distant corner of the house.

'What a chicken,' Rikki moaned, but she had been caught under some of the rubble. She coughed as she pulled herself out from a wooden plank, her hair filled with dirt and dust. 'Everybody, avoid looking up!'

'But how can we avoid what's going on if we avoid looking for danger!' Cleo shrieked, using her wind power to keep whatever it was – Lewis's hand, evidently – away from the house. It didn't seem to work, however. A long strand of yellow fibres swivelled down from the large gaping hole in the ceiling and grabbed Emma, Cleo, and Rikki. They were wrapped around it like rope, and their powers were useless against it.

'What the-?' Emma yelled.

The three girls screamed as the yellow whip yanked them out of the house and into the air. They were dangling by a thread, literally, in the air above their house, hovering from Lewis's monstrous head. His body was ginormous. Orange scales covered his entire body, and his long yellow hair was feeling around the ground like an extra thousand arms. It held Rikki, Emma, and Cleo on different strands. They were jerked back and forth as the creature looked left to right. From below, the most frightening thing was the large teeth poking out of the creature's mouth. A quick look behind them made them realize that the thing had four legs now, and that there were spines on its back and down its tail. Its claws below were red, and its scales were becoming darker by the minute, as if it were undergoing a camouflage change. The sea monster was the size of three story building. The big black expanse of sky did little to comfort them, and they did their best to focus on the ground. They could see their families sealing the hole in the roof by manipulating the water to cover the gap, and then turning it to glass.

'Don't look at the moon!' Rikki cried, shutting her eyes, holding onto Lewis's large thread of hair in case it dropped her.

'That's not going to matter if Lewis starts telling us to do things!' Cleo yelled back.

Cleo, Emma, and Rikki tried to take each other's hands for company and support, but they couldn't reach. The strands of hair from Lewis's head were moving like snakes. They waved back and forth, and their hands kept missing each other. Rikki was starting to look pale.

'It's like Medusa!' Emma cried, over the noise of Lewis's sudden roar. 'The hair! Medusa was a creature who had hair like snakes. But I don't remember reading anything about -'

But she was cut short as the Medusa-haired-creature moved across the suburbs and over houses. They seemed peaceful from outside, but the girls knew people were terrified in there. They could no doubt hear screams and the crashes of roofs, not to mention the thumping of feet and a large tail swishing in the air.

Cleo used her hand to try and steady the hair strand that was tight around her waist and legs, but her wind power had no effect on the monster. She could see Rikki and Emma waving around near her, and she could see her own fear reflected in their eyes. They didn't know what was going on, but the monster needed them for something.

Lewis jumped into the air and crashed onto the shore of the beach. It made the earth rumble and shudder, and the booming sound rattled the girl's eardrums. A cloud of sand wafted through the air and pelted them, getting lodged in their hair.

'I'm gonna hurl,' Rikki yelped. 'This moving and whirling around is making me feel sick!'

Cleo tried her best to look at the ground, but as sandy ground turned to water, she realized she couldn't look at that either, lest she see the reflection of the full moon.

'Uh oh,' Emma said, audible to Cleo and Rikki. 'We're going to get wet. The full moon...'

Cleo glanced down at the water as Lewis strode into the water like a huge water-dragon. He was about to dive. His hair still kept a tight grip on them.

'It's only inevitable, I suppose,' Emma said. The water was creeping up Lewis's large clawed feet. His tail disappeared into the water, the red spines vanishing in salty water.

'Maybe Lewis doesn't want to hurt us?' Cleo wondered out loud, feeling dizzy and unwell. She couldn't completely believe her words, however. She, like the others, were clueless. She held tightly onto the hair strand as the monster rose its body up into the air.

Then, with a large splash and gush of ocean water, Lewis dived into the water. Cleo, Emma, and Rikki were engulfed by darkness.


	22. Chapter 22: Doomsday

Kaihan and Zane sat inside the house, anxiously listening to the outdoors while they ate some corn chips with salsa at the dining table. Zane had lit a fire in the hearth with his power. It crackled and roared as if nothing was happening outside.

'I thought I heard a roar,' Kaihan commented.

'Maybe,' Zane mumbled. 'But we can't go out there. Stay put.'

Kaihan closed her eyes and reached out toward the town with her mind. She could only faintly sense the creature that could only be Lewis climbing Mako Island. It was then that she realized her mistake. As soon as she landed on him with her mind, she sensed Lewis's mind flicker back to her, as if realizing her presence.

'Uh oh,' Kaihan mumbled.

She got to her feet, her legs shaking. She darted toward the door. Zane hurried after her, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the back door. The curtains wavered at the movement. Kaihan protested and clawed at Zane's arm with her nails. Her petrified face looked even more desperate in the flickering light from the fireplace.

'Let me go, Zane!'

But Zane held out his hand and made a fist. Kaihan yelped as Zane burned her wrist, leaving a large red welt. Kaihan stopped moving, and sat on the floor, holding her wrist where Zane had burned her.

'You can't go out there. How many times do I have to tell you!?' Zane said.

'He's coming... He's coming this way!' Kaihan stammered, loudly. She bounded up to the door and wrenched the back door open, keeping her head down as she ran outside onto the lawn. The grass was prickly and dry on her bare feet, but that wouldn't be the case for long. Zane stayed indoors, mumbling to himself as he shut the door behind him, leaving Kaihan outside. He took a deep breath.

'Stupid girl,' he said. But then, he heard a scream, and he instinctively ran outside to see the source of the noise, leaving the back door wide open. There was a huge roar, followed by a high pitched screeching noise. There was a large orange-red sea monster with scales all over, sitting in the water outside his house. It was covered in spines and had long yellow hair. It could only be Lewis. And he was gigantic - at least two stories high. He felt very small and insignificant in that moment. The creature bared its large fangs at him. Zane gulped.

Zane suddenly noticed a few specks in his hair, and watched as Kaihan was swept up several meters away into the yellow threads and pulled to his steady head. The creature's large yellow eyes were glaring at Zane. The sight of his hair moving and sweeping the ground like curious snakes was disconcerting.

Zane held out his hand, and tried to freeze the creature to the water, but nothing happened. Suddenly, Zane lost his breath as a long clump of hair knocked the wind out of him. He felt a tight pressure around his waist, and wind rushed past his ears, the earth disappearing below him. He was hoisted into the air and brought to rest in Lewis's mass of mutant hair. The hair was cold, and Zane realized it was wet.

'Is he collecting us or something?' Zane yelled, dangling twenty or fifty feet above the ground. He was waved side to side by the strand. He saw Kaihan next to him, and after her he saw Cleo, Emma, and Rikki, all with long orange tails.

'Uh oh.' Zane said.

As he said this, his own tail appeared. Kaihan had grown a tail as well. This wasn't right... He rationalized. He felt... Normal. Was this supposed to happen?

'Rikki?' Zane called over. 'What's happening?'

Rikki shrugged, as much as she could with a thick strand of hair wrapped around her body and tail. 'No idea. I thought we would have gone crazy by now, but Lewis said to wait.'

'You can understand this monster?' Zane demanded, looking up at the bottom jaw of a red-scaled creature. 'That's crazy.'

'You'll see,' Rikki said simply. 'Just you wait.'

Kaihan was sobbing.

'You got your answer,' she hiccuped, to Zane. 'Almost. We're special. All of us.'

'Wait...' Zane mumbled. 'What about the other mermaids? Why did he just take you guys?'

Cleo was very pale. Her brown hair was frizzing up from being whipped around in the wind.

'Do you remember that thing that was written in Mako Cave? Well... If you saw it... It said that we were defenders or something. Maybe Lewis needs us to help defend him from something.' Cleo said.

'You mean we're going to fight something?' Zane queried. 'That's...'

But the monster was evidently tired of waiting for them to talk. After taking its bearings, the monster drudged over to the ocean and slid under the water. All of them were surrounded by coldness. They were surrounded by darkness.

Water bubbles rushed past them and their tails as Lewis sped through the water, the coral reef below them a complete blur. The hair had a very tight grip on them, and it was mildly comforting if not a bit tight. The girls, and Zane, all waited patiently for their destination to arrive. Despite Lewis swimming a hundred times faster than them, they didn't reach their destination until an hour later. Not even Kaihan's telepathic talking and communicating could make the ride any less frightening. They didn't really know what to say. They complained and wondered about what was happening, had a spat at each other, and then got tired and rested. Suddenly, Lewis swam to the surface.

They broke the surface with a gasp of relief. The sky was deep purple and nearly void of stars. The ocean licked their sides and their tails dangled beneath them. Lewis's hair was making small circles in the water. They looked forward toward land. They could see lights blinking in the distance several hundred meters away. The sun hadn't yet risen, but it would soon. Rikki gasped at the sight of a famliar monument; a large green lady holding a torch.

'That's...' she began. 'That's New York.'

The mermaids and merman were completely lost for words as Lewis hovered in the water, the waves licking his scales. Then, he let out a screeching noise, but this time, the screeching noise wasn't gibberish to their ears. They could understand it.

And that's when the trouble started...

* * *

Bella was woken by a phone call from Will.

'Did you hear that noise?' Will asked, hurridly. Bella looked at her clock. It was 6:34am. It was still dark outside. Bella could hear Will's breathing on the line. It was heavy.

'No, I didn't... Why? What did you hear?' Bella replied.

There was a pause. Bella took the time to look around her apartment. The floor was scattered with clothes and lyrics sheets. Just the way she had left it. She was still a bit dazed from being woken up, however.

'It sounded like a … dolphin. But a really, really, big dolphin.' Will said frantically. 'Look, I … I might have imagined it, but it woke me up. I could have sworn I heard it.'

'Well, you do live near the ocean,' Bella commented. 'So if there was a dolphin no doubt you heard it.'

'Look... I don't know...' Will mumbled. 'Just... Look, I'm sorry for calling you at this time. Maybe I was just freaked about what happened to you. I was so worried about you. And you didn't look great when you came back, either.'

Bella nodded. She had heard Will's worries before. She had come back skinny, but she was fixing that... a diet of junk food was one she couldn't complain about.

'Just try and relax. It's Saturday today, right? I could come over and keep you company.' Bella said.

She could hear Will smile on the other end. 'Sure. That sounds great.'

'I'll be at your place in a bit. I have to say, I'm curious about this super big dolphin. Maybe Sea World's decided to come visit us.'

Will laughed, but he hung up a few moments later with a quick 'see ya soon'. Bella rolled out of bed and threw some decent clothes on. It was winter at the moment, so she had to wear her gloves and beanie. She made sure she wore extra layers so she wouldn't freeze to death, and then went outside to catch a cab.

Will was waiting for her outside his apartment. The ocean was in view, and Bella made sure she got a good look at it before she went inside. He had the heater running which she was grateful for; her nose and cheeks were bright pink.

'So what was this about a dolphin?' Bella asked, dumping her things next to the door. She pulled off her beanie and placed it on the kitchen counter. 'Oh wait, is Sophie here?'

'Nah,' Will admitted. 'She went out for a morning run. She's training for the triathalon.'

Bella laughed. 'What? In winter?'

'She's pretty determined.'

Bella then froze as she heard a crash in the distance, and then a loud high pitched wailing sound.

She looked at Will, and then they both rushed outside to look at the water. Without a doubt... There was something there. Something red in the water.

'Submarines?' Bella said, peering back to look at Will. 'Is that what it looks like to you?'

Will squinted. 'It looks like... A dragon...'

'What? With wings?'

'No... With hair...'

Bella realized something. She remembered her last night in Australia.

'_Lewis_?'

Will stammered. 'What?'

'It's Lewis! When I left... I remember, he had this weird shape about him. Maybe it's him?'

'If it is him, then what is he doing in America?' Will said, bewildered. 'And why does he look so... weird?'

Suddenly, people were coming out of their houses and apartment complexes to look at the thing in the water. Some people were already calling the police.

'Oh, crap.' Bella grumbled, realizing. 'Something bad must be happening. I have to stop him from coming closer!'

She ran down the street at full pelt. Will followed close behind.

'Wait! Bella!' he yelled after her. 'You don't know what you're getting yourself into!'

She dove into the water at the end of the long slope. She disappeared into the freezing water, and squirmed at the feeling of her clothes weighing her down. However, once her tail grew and her clothes vanished, she felt completely acustomed to the temperature. She looked around under the water. There were boats towed to a dock, and people around her above the water. Without a second thought, she swam toward the red thing under the water at belt neck speed. As she approached it, she poked her head out of the water. It was Lewis. Except he was much bigger and had four legs. He was standing on a large platform of ice. Bella was surprised to see her friends, Cleo and Rikki stuck in his hair. And even a few others; Kaihan, Emma, and Zane.

'What on earth is going on?' Bella stammered. Then, Lewis looked down at her with his bright yellow eyes. The mermaids stuck to his hair pointed their hands at her, shooting magic toward her. The water around her froze, trapping her, and a gush of water pushed her out of the water from below. One of Lewis's long strands of hair caught her mid air, and pulled her towards the others. Once she was secured, the frozen water around her melted away. Cleo, Rikki, Emma, Kaihan and Zane all had determined looks on their faces. They were moonstruck, no doubt. Bella barely had time to register what was happening. All she could see was New York before her, waiting. She wasn't sure how comfortable she felt at being this high up, either. The ocean almost looked intimidating from the height. And the hair around her waist, chest, and tail were uncomfortably tight. She wobbled as she was moved around on the strand.

Then, the huge beast opened its mouth, revealing its large fangs. The high pitched noise came from its throat, and nearly broke Bella's eardrums. Bella could hear instructions being spoken to her in the noise, despite its loudness. It was at that moment that she understood why Lewis was here, and what Cleo, Rikki, Emma, Kaihan, and Zane were doing there in Lewis's hair.

'_The full moon doesn't follow us around the world, so I've taken the moon's power with us... within me._' The creature said, it's voice soothing her unease and anxiety. It was definitely Lewis's voice, she couldn't deny that. He must have been under the moon's spell, though. He never talked that serenely. '_Once people touch the water, they will change. We need your help to bring them here._'

At that, Bella, Rikki, Cleo, Zane, and Kaihan were dropped from the vines at the creature's head. With a splash, their bodies disappeared under the water. Without looking at eachother, they swam toward the shore at an incredible speed, under the foreign waters while Lewis waited, his red scales glistening in the sun that was only just peeking its head above the horizon.

* * *

_A/N: Panic, panic, panic, panic! I'm probably going a bit over the top with this story, but hopefully it's not too bad. I hope you like it! Feel free to review and give me your thoughts! :) I've appreciate it, even if you have some criticisms. I realize there are some spelling mistakes in the past few chapters, and some things may have been written badly... so I'm sorry about that. I'm not sorry about getting this story out there though. :)_


	23. Chapter 23: The GateKeeper

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait for updates. I've had finals, and I haven't even finished them. I have 2 left (ugh). But I'm writing this in my break. I just wanted to point out that I am the biggest hypocrite on the planet. I must admit: I am not a fan of season 3 because I personally enjoy the really lighthearted non-serious story lines from the first 2 seasons. And here I am, writing a serious H2O story. So yeah, I'm a hypocrite. You heard it from me first. That said, hope you like the chapter. It's a bit long, but with reason. You'll see._

* * *

The night was a blur. A wet, noisy blur.

Asami remembered being back home. She remembered Tokyo city; all too familiar. She remembered the night sky, and water pouring over roads and sidewalks. She remembered the sight of numerous signs going down in a gust of wind, and she remembered holding her hand high in the air as the city lost its power and went pitch black.

As she held her hand, a large glowing ball of light floated above her head and split into hundreds of small orbs. As the water gushed over the civilians legs, soaking their jeans and t-shirts, their business suits, and skirts, long orange tails appeared beneath them. There was splashing and howling and lots of commotion. She saw a face appear next to her. It was a young japanese boy. He held his arms out in the air and waved his hands about. Orbs appeared in his palms like apples, and he threw them into the air, giggling, holding himself up with his hands, occasionally swallowing dirty water with a spluttering cough.

The noise was soon becoming overwhelming. It was as if humanity looked upon itself in the mirror and saw it broken. As a whole, they all outraged at this unfamiliarity. But then, it was as if they were overwhelmed with the beauty of their new forms and powers. Ice sprouted from the water flooding the streets and made large ornaments in the sky. Fire burst like embers from the wrists of teenage girls, and the metal from buildings became warped and twisted. Mania was overwhelming the city and its people.

With a burst of blue light, the dirty water became instantly clean and drinkable, breathable. The garbage and cigarette butts disappeared in smoke, completely disintegrated. A soft chant could be heard behind Asami. She joined in, knowing the words by heart. Rikki and Cleo's voices emanated from behind her.

_O'cla-dee,_

_Sa-monuum,_

_Zi-choq-hae._

The foreign language echoed through the noisy streets. Every person, woman and man becoming engulfed in the song. It was oddly hypnotic. The chant... the voices... grew louder...

The moon above their heads was nearly full, but the moonlight emanated through the water... coming from a large creature living in the ocean. The _GateKeeper_... Their Master... With the power to store and amplify the power of the moon. With the power to break the boundaries of time and space, and overcome the detriment of fatigue.

It was at that time, Asami knew... that the world would never be the same again. And where was her family? They were no where to be seen. She stretched a glowing red orb with her hands, producing a glowing set of japanese characters with her hands. They lifted into the air as a cry. A plea.

'_I didn't know I had this kind of power... to _stretch_ the light..._' a distant part of her thought._ 'Then again, had I ever really tried?_'

Asami felt, something rumble inside her head. Voices. She thought back at them, defiantly.

'_No... I'm not Kaihan. Go away, voices._'

But the dream, the darkness, the glowing light and the flooded Tokyo city disappeared with a snap. She felt aware of a bed beneath her, and a hand on her face. She sat up and her eyes darted around the room. She arms waved around to knock the hand away.

She had been lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. It was barely lit. It was very small and dark, and a green orb floated above her head. Despite being able to see in the dark due to her power, she saw nothing of interest in the room other than a large wooden clock propped against the back wall. Sitting next to the bed on a wooden chair was an old japanese man. His face was greatly wrinkled and his hair, though grey and patchy, reached his shoulders. A pair of horn-rimmed glasses rested precariously on his nose. Asami couldn't believe her eyes. She remembered this man, from many years ago.

'Papa?' she whispered, intonating in her native tongue. The man smiled, not saying a word, and touched Asami's wrist.

'Yes, it's me,' he replied.

Asami felt her chest tightning. Her eyes stung, and she held her breath. It had been so long... She didn't know what to do. The darkness around her, oddly, was a comfort. A close friend.

'You must be disappointed with me for running away,' Asami admitted.

The man by her side nodded, but any lingering sadness in his face seemed largely distant.

'Yes, but I was even more sad to hear that you had died.'

Asami looked down at her hands, hanging her head down in shame.

'I'm sorry, Papa.'

'It doesn't matter. Forget about it.'

The man then took his glasses off his face and balanced them on his knees.

'Your mother died a few years after you were reported dead,' the man said. 'I wanted to tell you that. But I know you never had a very high opinion of your mother.'

The words came out of nowhere; it was very sudden. Asami had to remember to tell herself to breath. The memory floated back: at the thought of returning home when her student visa expired, she, Chiyo, and Kaihan all ran away to Mako Island... stealing the boat of one of their host parent's. They were thought drowned. She found it hard to imagine her mother disappearing a few years after that. She wasn't sure how her father knew about her feelings toward her mother, either.

'How do you know I felt that way about her?'

'Your host family told me you ran away because you didn't want to return to the stress of living back home. They heard some things at the school,' the man said. He stared at Asami with a distant look to him. 'It was important for your mother and I that you succeed and do well at school, but we never imagined you would try to stay away from home for it.'

Asami closed her eyes and thought for a moment.

'I'm sorry to hear about mother.'

Suddenly, her breathing shuddered and she gasped. A flood of memories came back to her of the previous night. Her father approaching her with a long orange tail, and placing a hand on the back of the boy who had become so enamored with her and the lights she and he could make. She remembered watching her father's lips form some words, but she couldn't comprehend it. She had been too busy singing... The moon... It was like recovering from a hang over the next morning.

'I have a younger brother?' Asami gasped, realising.

Her father nodded, and invited the young boy into the room. He had been standing outside, and opened the door hesitantly. Now Asami could get a better look at him, she realized that he looked about 9 years old. He had black hair like she did.

'His name is Kohta. But we'll play catch up in a few minutes,' Asami's father explained, putting his glasses back on and hoisting Kohta into his lap. 'We just wanted to talk about this whole mermaid business...'

Asami nodded, trying hard to remember more of the previous night. All she could hear in her head was the dull clicking of the clock against the wall.

Kohta started wrapping his father's hair around his hands.

And they talked about mermaids... and what had happened the previous night. And then they talked about Lewis... and the _GateKeeper_.

* * *

'Lewis!' Cleo called, her voice echoing. 'Lewis! Where are you?'

She was standing in an ice cave. Where on earth was she? The himalayas? Antartica?

'LEWIS.'

Cleo shivered at the cold. Her shoes tapped lightly against the ice. It didn't feel like a mermaid creation. She couldn't even see in the dark. A few steps walking made her hit a wall. She bumped her head and groaned in response.

The darkness closed in around her, the cold breathed against her skin and the cave was threatning to collapse on her. How had she gotten here?

She closed her eyes and felt for water with her mind. She could feel the ice, but could not make much sense of it – not like Emma. She projected her mind our further, searching for traces of water... She found it. A fountain trickling through the mountain she was in. She felt it trickle down to her right. She followed the water trace down the mountain with her mind. It ended in a pool. What was this place?

She felt with her hands the sides of the cave. It was cold, but melted slightly against her skin. One mermaid transformation later, she felt a crash underneath her tail and she screamed. To her surprise, however, light reached her eyes and nearly blinded her – sunlight. She slid down an icey slope, having crashed through the floor of the cave. It seemed such an unnatural thing, yet it reeked of nature – but not by mermaid creation. The water followed her down the twisting slide, ice walls towering around her, preventing her fall. Cleo's skin no longer had goosebumps; her mermaid self was perfectly adapted to the cold water. She saw mountains upon mountains of ice and rock when the walls were low enough. She pressed her hands against the sides of the slide to prevent herself falling off a cliff, should it end in a cliff.

The slide continued for some time, but it was very quick. It was only a few seconds after she had fallen that she remembered that she could control the water. With a quick flick of her hand, she gathered the water around her until it was enough to lift her. She gracefully floated down the slide, feeling comforted at the thought that she wasn't about to fall to her untimely death. The slide ended against a part icey, part rock, part grassy plain. When her fin hit the ground, she removed the water from her body and her legs appeared gracefully underneath her. Her shoes hit the ground.

The ice rocks towered around her as she made her way around to look at the slide. It was then she noticed where the water was flowing to. A mound of rock surrounding a shallow pool. A moon pool.

There was somebody with blonde hair sitting near the edge. Cleo gasped.

'Lewis?'

The man turned and looked at Cleo. The sight was frightning. He was definitely human and wearing his human clothes, but his hair was still long and flowed down his chest and past his legs. His skin was smooth and human, and he didn't have any strange snout – just a human nose. His eyes were bright yellow, though, and his toes and hands still sported claws, although they were faded from orange to a more natural white colour. Somehow there was something more frightning about this Lewis than the reptile one.

Lewis forced a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. Cleo approached him, and sat next to him, staring at the icey moon pool. Small blue crystals jutted out of the sides.

'Where are we, Lewis?'

Lewis pushed his long blonde hair behind him so it flowed down his back. He chuckled.

'Antartica. I always wanted to see this place. It always seemed so mysterious and serene. And look...'

'A moon pool,' Cleo said. 'Yeah, I noticed. But...'

'But how did we get here?' Lewis finished her sentence. His bright yellow eyes were amused. 'I don't even know.'

They listened to the water trickling from the ice towers and swirling into the moon pool. It lapped at the sides.

'There is one thing I do know, though,' Lewis admitted. He turned to look at Cleo, and he took her hands in his claws. 'This form of mine is only temporary. And it is running out. When it runs out, I will never turn into that reptillic thing ever again.' Lewis sounded half sad, and half relieved. Cleo pulled her hands out of Lewis's and them climbed into his lap. She ran her hands through his hair, the long strange hair that had become snake like the night before.

'There is a condition, though.' Lewis muttered, his breath reaching Cleo's ear. 'As the GateKeeper, I have a choice to make.'

Cleo pulled away from the crook of Lewis's neck and looked into his eyes. It was the first she had heard of choices, though the term GateKeeper was mildly unfamiliar to her. It was familiar to the mermaid part of her, though. She wagered Lewis had a better understanding of it than she did.

Lewis heaved a heavy sigh. 'You may remember or you may not, but the whole planet, every human on the planet was turned into a mermaid or merman last night. As that reptile thing, I absorbed the moonlight and somehow projected it into the water spreading it across the planet. No human was untouched. Everything moved very fast. We lost a few people across the world – like Asami is in Tokyo, for instance -, but I'm confident we can find them again.' Lewis closed his eyes, and rest his claws on the rocky turf. 'This is just... so unreal. It's crazy.'

Cleo agreed. She touched Lewis's face with her hand.

'You mentioned something about a choice you had to make?'

'Oh, that,' Lewis grimaced. 'You see... I won't change back to normal until I make it. This last ounce of power from this... creature... is to remove the moon pools from this planet, and move them to another one, another one with life.'

Cleo frowned. 'But... I thought the moon pools came from, well... the moon.'

'The funny thing is...' Lewis said. 'Is that we were completely wrong about that. It's just a coincidence. They're influenced by whatever passing celestial body there is. 'I would be lying if I said I understood all of this because I really don't.' Lewis laughed, lightly. 'All I know is that the GateKeeper is what started all this mermaid business. Somehow... Maybe he was a magician or something from long ago, cursed maybe from witches. Or maybe he was never a human to begin with. Maybe he was just a merman with some weird mutations, or maybe he started as a fish or water reptile. But whatever he was, he's connected to the moon pool. His scales... His scales are the crystals from the moon pool.'

Cleo was staring at Lewis, hardly believing her ears. But she could do nothing but believe in her heart. The mermaid within her knew the truth.

'The song they were singing last night...' Cleo realized. 'It was about the GateKeeper. And the song me, Emma, and Rikki sang when you were made into a merman. It was like a reincarnation or something, right?'

'Right,' Lewis agreed. 'The GateKeeper has been jumping across the universe and dying again and again, leaving moon pools where it died. It turned humans into fish-people. Into merfolk. Then a new GateKeeper is born, the world is turned into fish, and then it dies again. All the moon pools are gone, and a new planet gets moon pools, and the GateKeeper is born again and yet another planet is fish. This is a farfetched theory... but my hypothesis is that it can only survive that way. By dying on a planet, leaving a new heap of pools, and then maybe being reincarnated again.'

'That's a crazy lifestyle,' Cleo mumbled. She looked at the moon pool in front of her. 'So this is a dead Gatekeeper – or part of one?'

'Yep,' Lewis said, eyeing the blue crystals. He frowned. 'I feel sad for it.'

'Wait...' Cleo began. 'Are you saying that you have to die?'

Lewis laughed, and then shook his head. 'No, I don't have to die. My choice is whether to hold onto this strange form, and keep all the moon pools. Or let it go, all the moon pools disappear and go somewhere else. The thing is that once the moon pools disappear, nobody will ever be able to change back to a human being ever again. But keeping this reptilian form won't be forever. I will die one day, too, and the GateKeeper will go with it.'

'And yet if you stay this way... will you turn into that... thing again, during the full moon?' Cleo asked.

Lewis smiled.

'Yes. Though I think at this point, if I let the GateKeeper go – that reptile thing - that the moon will never have the same effect on mermaids and mermen on earth ever again. We'll have control. I think the reason why you and we were ever affected at all was because of the GateKeeper's influence – be in from the pool or from the thing I was. It has some interaction with nature I don't completely understand. But it's an interesting thing. I have to say I've become a bit attached to it.'

'I know what you mean,' Cleo said. 'I mean, whenever we're hit by the moon or near the moon pool or even in the water, everything feels right.'

'It must be strange for a creature to jump across the universe like that...'

'And what about the weather?' Cleo suddenly mentioned, remembering the hazardous weather from months ago – like the hurricane.

'The strange weather?' Lewis querried. 'Well, the GateKeeper did want to stay alive. So the moon pools would be safe. So its future lives and influences would be safe. Naturally it would need help to keep safe.'

Cleo and Lewis nodded and thought for awhile. The sun shone from above and the ice glimmered. They thought about the strange creature called the GateKeeper that travelled across the universe and transformed its inhabitants before going away. It was part creature, part rock, part human... and it somehow was involved with the stars. Some strange creature it was. That something could embody the universe like that. Nature was a strange thing. And now... the entire earth were mermaids and mermen. And all because of this creature's natural life cycle... whatever it was.

'I can see why we called it Master,' Cleo admitted. 'If it has that kind of power. But if anything it's sort of like a _God_. It grants powers to its followers in exchange for keeping it safe - not forgotten.'

Lewis frowned. 'I didn't think of that.'

Cleo thought for a moment.

'Do you know what you're going to do? The choice, I mean.'

'Well, yes,' Lewis admitted. 'I am going to let the Gatekeeper go. I feel bad for holding onto this form, and it will only hassle us with the moon until it goes away...'

'So nobody will ever be able to turn back?' Cleo asked.

'Not unless the GateKeeper comes back,' Lewis said. 'But I don't think it will. There's a wide wide universe out there. Besides, I don't think this could be an entirely bad thing. Without the moon influencing us, humans can rebuild. We can create a world where mermaids and humans work together. Best of both worlds, really.'

'That sounds good.' Cleo said, and she got to her feet and helped Lewis up, holding him by the wrists so she didn't get scratched. 'What do you do, then?'

'I concentrate,' Lewis said. Cleo took a few steps back and watched.

Lewis closed his eyes. Seconds, then minutes passed. Cleo listened to the water flow into the moon pool, thinking about the GateKeeper. It was sad to think that the moment they had to say goodbye was the time they finally knew its name, and its purpose. It was an odd thing to think that something like this might be completely natural...

She noticed Lewis's long hair start to shorten, and she noticed the claws on his toes and hands start to shrink. As these features began to disappear, Cleo saw blue crystals imbedded in the moon pool behind Lewis disappear. It soon was no more than a simple rock pool. Lewis finally opened his eyes. They were no longer bright yellow. Cleo smiled at Lewis, and ran into his arms.

The couple crashed into the rockpool, and the freezing water felt normal as their legs turned to orange tails, water splashing over the edge of the icey pool. They swam in it, laughing, happy to be back to normal. Happy to finally have control.

Cleo and Lewis's hair fluttered under the water like ribbons. Cleo wrapped her arms around Lewis's waist, overjoyed to have her boyfriend back, his body clammy under the water. They shared an underwater kiss. They felt something leave earth that day. A magical power; the GateKeeper. But they had other things to worry about now, and other things to dream about. A new world of mermaids and mermen.

But first... They needed to get back home.


	24. Chapter 24: New World

Lewis prodded some flesh with a droplet of water and watched it change under the microscope. Mermaid scales.

He was working in the lab in America.

As he prodded the scales, his colleagues were busy analysing the mermaid's genome. The first ever mermaid genome had been recorded.

They discovered that the moon pool had caused additional mutations in previously inactivated parts of the DNA. Those mutations were highly precise, and is what encoded the mermaid body-parts. A few altered segments in the nervous system and was contributing to their mer-powers. They weren't completely understood. The way the DNA reacted to water was interesting, however.

Lewis stabbed the scales with a glass pipette and extracted the intracellular fluid. He then isolated it into a microfuge tube for a protein analysis.

'I guess I shouldn't really have been surprised,' Lewis commented, as he gave the microfuge tube a flick. 'Water made those mermaid genes that were previously silenced, activated. When the water was removed, the DNA would be silenced again; and no more tail.' Lewis peered over to his postgraduate supervisor busy at a computer. 'Did you contact the press yet? Everybody would be thrilled to hear we're making progress with this.'

'Yeah, I did,' his supervisor said. 'It won't make much of a difference – gene therapy is still highly underdeveloped. But when it's more greatly developed it's possible we could change or add powers to people. Potentially turn people back to plain old humans – but who would want to do that? We're perfectly happy.'

Lewis laughed, and stored the scales away in a fridge. He thought briefly about Cleo, and how she was doing back in Australia.

* * *

Cleo was busy at school since the semester had started. The night everybody changed was also the time the electricity all came back on. Rikki had discovered that people's powers were amplified (so all those with fire power could shoot lightning), and she managed to learn (thanks to some experts) the correct electrical charge to run through buildings – and so the power was back on.

Cleo was perfectly happy studying marine biology. Even if she did have exams soon.

The trip back from Antarctica was tiresome, but surprisingly quick. The mermaid tails were really fast.

Cleo thought of sending Lewis an email, but she had already heard that they were making excellent progress in the lab on mermaids.

* * *

Several weeks later, once everybody had settled down back home (except for Chiyo, Asami, and Kaihan who were busy becoming reacquainted with their families), Emma, Cleo and Rikki all swam to Mako Island. The orbs lined the way under the water, even during the day. They even passed a few mermaids going back to shore. They were too fast to see who it was. Cleo, Emma, and Rikki broke the surface of the moon pool on Mako Island. They got up and sat on the sand while Rikki dried them. Then they investigated the rock walls on their feet.

'No crystals,' Rikki commented.

'It's so strange seeing the moon pool like this. It looks the same, but it's... different.' Emma agreed.

'Yeah,' Cleo said, and she touched a place on the wall where crystals used to be. 'It's crazy that the world could just change so much overnight and yet... not much has changed after all.'

'Well,' Rikki continued. 'We do have a better source of electricity!'

Cleo grinned. 'I suppose that part is more convenient.'

'Everyone wants an electric car now,' Emma nodded. 'If you have a fire-starter in the family then you can get free recharges.'

'I can't even tell you how convenient it is to charge my mobile phone without a power outlet,' Rikki grinned. 'I'm so glad those electrician guys figured this electric-thing out.'

They all stood around in the moon pool, nudging the sand with their feet and looking outside to the castle. It was deserted.

'In the end, the GateKeeper just wanted us to take care of him. I mean, the moon pool.' Cleo said whimsically.

'Or just... pool now.' Rikki said.

Emma pushed her hair back behind an ear. 'Is it true that the moon won't affect us anymore?'

Cleo frowned, and nodded. 'I think so. Lewis was pretty right about all the stuff he said.'

Emma nodded faintly. They would wait until the full moon to find out. It was only a few weeks away at this point.

* * *

Cleo, Emma, and Rikki were sitting on their towels on the shore of the beach. They watched some mermaids playing in the water. They were watching the sunset. The sky went from orange, to pink, to purple. Then finally, they turned and saw the moon peeking its head over the horizon - over the tops of buildings. The full moon was making an appearance.

Rikki heaved an exagerated sigh. 'Come on, already! The suspense is killing me!'

Emma smiled and turned to her friends. 'Don't you think we're in danger here in case we are affected by a full moon?'

'Nah,' Rikki replied, throwing her arms out and stretching. 'What are we going to do? Turn people into mermaids?'

'It's weird not having to be cautious about this for once, that's all,' Emma commented.

Cleo didn't say anything. Her eyes were unfocused. The sound of splashing and squealing from the water drifted in one ear and out the other. For a moment she considered everything that had happened over the last few months. It all seemed like a dream now. Lewis becoming a merman and discovering his rare memory altering and seducing power. The night Lewis had changed, she and Emma and Rikki had performed a mermaid ritual to bring about the GateKeeper in merman form. It would usher a new world of mermaids. The GateKeeper, that strange creature, had been with them from the beginning - as the moon pool influencing their every action and moon-influenced thought. Now, the whole world were mermaids and mermen, and everything was surprisingly peaceful. There was something about swimming with a tail that could wash away even the darkest of thoughts.

The pale moon crept further above the horizon. There was only the bottom edge left to appear. It was only a few minutes away. The people in the water left, dried themselves, and hurried back to town, talking about what kind of fish they were going to eat for dinner.

'I wonder what mermaid tail would taste like.' They chatted.

'No idea. Bet it's gross.' said another.

They were gone. Now, it was just Emma, Rikki, and Cleo on the beach. Cleo knew that Lewis would be doing the same thing during the full moon. And so would Bella and Will. Diving competitions would take a whole new meaning with tails. Same with swimming competitions. And what about cooking shows? What was the bet fire-wielders would shine? Who can charr their food the most precisely with their fire power? These thoughts drifted out of Cleo's head as the moon appeared, in full glory, above the horizon, contrasting with the twilight surrounding it and the blinking lights of the town.

Cleo waited for the moon to affect her. So did Emma, and Rikki. Their bodies tensed as they waited. They all glanced at each other as the seconds passed, their eyebrows raised. They didn't dare speak the truth, for it was all but evident. They felt no urge to go to Mako, or go swimming, or even sing seducing siren songs. They didn't feel the urge to use their powers wildly. It seemed the moon just didn't affect them anymore. The GateKeeper did all that. The lack of the moon pools did all that.

The three of them got to their feet and gathered up their towels.

'Anyone else feel like going out for dinner?' Rikki asked. 'I'll buy.'

'In that case, sure,' said Cleo, grinning. 'I haven't had chicken in a long time.'

'We're so lucky to have you around to buy things for us poor students,' Emma said, grimacing.

Rikki draped her towel over her shoulder. 'Let's go then, shall we?'

They all felt as if a weight was lifted from their shoulders. It was a relief to no longer feel afraid of the full moon. To no longer feel threatened by its presence. They didn't have to worry about others either, and what they might do if they were hit by the moon. Everything was normal, even though the world was changing in response to the wide-spread tail growth. They didn't have to worry about being seen with tails, or being moon-struck anymore.

This, truly, was peace.

**END**

* * *

_A/N: Just wanted to say, thanks for sticking around for so long! I hope you enjoyed the story. I certainly enjoyed writing it. I'm sorry it didn't quite end up being a comedy, but I hope it was interesting all the same. _


End file.
